Culture and language as communication barriers three

Culture and Language as Communication Barriers
Three of the nine articles focused on culture and language as barriers to nurse-client
communication (Coleman & Angosta, 2016; Farahani, Sahragard, Carroll, & Mohammadi, 2011;
Savio & George, 2013). Farahani, Sahragard, Carroll, and Mohammadi (2011) used open-ended
questions to conduct qualitative interviews with nurses in Iran about the communication barriers
they faced with cl ients. The following questions were used: “What are you r experiences of
patient education?” “ How do you educate your patien ts?” and “What are the communication
barriers between nurses and patients?” (Farahani, Sahragard, Carroll, Mohammadi, 2011, p.
324). Nurses interviewed were primarily women (78%) and had a mean age of 35 years with 8.4
years of work experience. Culturally proscribed traditions which affected clients’ identities
interfered with nurse-client communication on topics such as sexuality, differing customs and
languages, and gender identity issues. Clients felt shame and embarrassment, which nurses
believed influenced communication and education success. An example explained how a
Kurdish man refused to remove facial hair for a medical procedure because it would ruin his
body image. The nurse communicated the issue of sterility with facial hair during surgery,
however the client refused.
Savio and George (2013) conducted a descriptive survey study in Australia to assess
communication barriers and nurses’ attitudes and perceptions about the barriers. Reliability and
feasibility were tested by conducting a pilot study and administering the survey sample to twenty
random nurses at Kasturba Hospital. In the actual study, one hundred nurses were surveyed. The

19
majority (71%) were in the 30-40 age range, and female (88%), worked in general wards (49%),
intensive units (40%), and other units around the hospital (11%). Verbal and non-verbal
communication barriers were assessed. Nineteen percent of nurses experience mild barriers,
seventy nine percent experienced moderate barriers, and two percent experienced severe barriers
in communicating with clients who have culturally and linguistically diverse. Savio and George
(2013) also found that male nurses experienced more difficulties in communicating with
culturally diverse clients.
Coleman and Angosta (2016) studied the experiences of nurses who cared for clients with
limited English proficiency. Forty registered nurses were interviewed using the
phenomentological research approach. Nurses in the study expressed desire to communicate and
connect, provide care and cultural respect for clients with limited English proficiency. Nurses
identified language as a barrier to developing rapport, providing education, and caring for clients
with limited English proficiency. However, nurses with a deep inclination for client centered
care were able to overcome the challenges and develop a satisfactory nurse-client relationship
(Coleman & Angosta, 2016).

20
DISCUSSION
Through the literature review five main barriers were identified by nurses as affecting the