The Attitude of Medical Practitioners towards the Use of Nigerian Languages in Interaction With Their Patients

Herbert Igboanusi, Hans-Georg Wolf

Abstract


The importance of language in healthcare context and communication has been the driving force behind the increasing interest of linguistic scholars in medical discourse. The need for patient-centred medical interaction has led to the call for the adoption of the language of the patient in medical interaction. However, it is not enough for healthcare givers to speak the language of patients; the right terminology should be made available to both the practitioner and the client. The present study evaluates the attitude of medical practitioners towards the use of Nigerian languages in interaction with their patients, with a view to determining their willingness to use such languages (given that their training was largely in English) and their level of support for the ongoing effort at standardising medical terminology in Nigeria’s indigenous languages for the purposes of facilitating discourse in such languages. Findings from key informant interviews indicate the willingness of health professionals to promote medical discourse in their local languages, given that the effectiveness of provider-patient communication relies on the client’s satisfaction.


Keywords


Attitude of medical practitioners; Medical discourse; Use of Nigerian languages

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/13599

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