Communicative Construction of Native versus Non-Native Swedish Speaking Patients in Consultation Settings

Authors

  • Joel Hedegaard School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University
  • Airi Rovio-Johansson Gothenburg Research Institute (GRI), School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg
  • Eleni Siouta Sophiahemmet University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v17i4.15715

Keywords:

Communication, Critical discourse analysis, Dialogue, Health care, Patient-centered care

Abstract

In this paper, we examine patient-centered care through analyzing communicative constructions of patients, on the basis of their native language, in consultations with physicians. Whereas patient-centered care is of current interest in health care, research has not addressed its implications in this dimension. Previous studies indicate that non-native Swedish speaking patients, experience substandard interpersonal treatment far more than native Swedish speaking patients. Our findings show that the non-native Swedish speaking patients presented themselves as participating, whereas the native Swedish speaking patients presented themselves as amenable. The physicians responded in two different ways, argumentatively towards the non-native Swedish speaking patients and acknowl- edging vis-à-vis the native Swedish speaking patients. When decisions and conclusions were made by the patients and physicians, this resulted in preservation of the status quo in the consultations with the non-native Swedish speaking patients, while the corresponding result with the native Swedish speaking patients was monitoring of their health status. So, whereas the non-native Swedish speaking patients actually were model patient-centered care patients, physicians were more amenable towards the native Swedish speaking patients. We suggest that patient-centered care is desirable, but its practical application must be more thoroughly scrutinized from both a patient and a health care worker perspective.

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Author Biographies

Joel Hedegaard, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University

Joel Hedegaard is a PhD student in Education at School of Education and Communication at Jönköping University. His research interests are constructions of gender and ethnicity in multi-professional work places/organizations and in communication settings.

Airi Rovio-Johansson, Gothenburg Research Institute (GRI), School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg

Airi Rovio-Johansson is a Professor in Gothenburg Research Institute, School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Her main research topics are teaching and students' learning outcomes in higher education, quality management, organizational change processes, and discourse analysis. She has published articles in international journals and has contributed to several books on these topics.

Eleni Siouta, Sophiahemmet University

Eleni Siouta, RN, MSc and fil.lic in Nursing and a lecturer at Karolinska Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, division of nursing, in Sweden. Her research interest is health communication, more specifically communication in consultations between patients with Atrial Fibrillation and health professionals. Her work focuses on patient participation in decision-making regarding treatment and role of communication in that respect.

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Published

2013-12-15

How to Cite

Hedegaard, J., Rovio-Johansson, A., & Siouta, E. (2013). Communicative Construction of Native versus Non-Native Swedish Speaking Patients in Consultation Settings. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 17(4), 21–47. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v17i4.15715

Issue

Section

Original Articles