General practitioners' views on consultations with interpreters: a triad situation with complex issues.

Area of Science:

• Medical Sociology
• Primary Healthcare Research
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Cross-cultural communication in primary healthcare presents unique challenges.
• Interpreters play a crucial role in facilitating or hindering GP-patient interactions.
• Understanding general practitioners' perspectives is key to improving these consultations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore general practitioners' (GPs) views on cross-cultural consultations utilizing interpreters in Swedish primary healthcare.
• To identify facilitators and barriers in consultations involving interpreters.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing two group and three personal interviews with experienced GPs.
• Content analysis of transcribed interviews to categorize findings.
• Focus on general practitioners' responses and opinions regarding interpreter-mediated consultations.

Main Results:

• Optimal consultations require active roles from GPs, interpreters, and patients, with interpreters acting as neutral information bridges.
• GPs must acknowledge cultural inequalities and the role of interpreters.
• Factors like physical arrangement, consultation time, and interpreter consistency impact outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Communication barriers in cross-cultural consultations can stem from GPs, interpreters, patients, or environmental factors.
• Strategies to mitigate misunderstandings in GP-patient encounters via interpreters are proposed.
• Enhancing interpreter-mediated primary healthcare requires a multi-faceted approach.