title: Achieving visibility? Use of non-verbal communication in interactions between patients and pharmacists who do not share a common language.
abstract: Despite the seemingly insatiable interest in healthcare professional-patient communication, less attention has been paid to the use of non-verbal communication in medical consultations. This article considers pharmacists' and patients' use of non-verbal communication to interact directly in consultations in which they do not share a common language. In total, 12 video-recorded, interpreted pharmacy consultations concerned with a newly prescribed medication or a change in medication were analysed in detail. The analysis focused on instances of direct communication initiated by either the patient or the pharmacist, despite the presence of a multilingual pharmacy assistant acting as an interpreter. Direct communication was shown to occur through (i) the demonstration of a medical device, (ii) the indication of relevant body parts and (iii) the use of limited English. These connections worked to make patients and pharmacists visible to each other and thus to maintain a sense of mutual involvement in consultations within which patients and pharmacists could enact professionally and socially appropriate roles. In a multicultural society this work is important in understanding the dynamics involved in consultations in situations in which language is not shared and thus in considering the development of future research and policy.
authors.affiliation: UCL Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058085:Iron Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007802:Language; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D009633:Nonverbal Communication / Q000523:psychology; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000523:psychology; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D058085:Iron Compounds
keywords: interpreted consultations; multilingual consultations; non-verbal communication; pharmacist-patient communication; video-recorded consultations