Barriers to communication between health practitioners and service users who are not fluent in English

This paper reviews the main barriers to effective communication between practitioners and those service users of minority ethnic backgrounds who may not be fluent in English. Barriers are reviewed at an interpersonal level, concerning discrepancies of attitudes and beliefs, and communication skills. Consideration is given to the impact of organisational factors on practitioner-client communication, focusing on provision of bilingual health workers. A key argument is that practitioner education should enhance the ability of health professionals to reflect on both the individual and organisational aspects of transcultural communication competence.