Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance: a qualitative descriptive study
Background: Language discordance, a challenge of miscommunication between health professionals and service users, is a concern for occupational therapy, a profession that foregrounds a client-centred partnership. Occupational therapy literature highlights language discordance as one of the biggest c...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613220678664192 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Marshall, Emily |
| author2 | Ramafikeng, Matumo |
| author_browse | Marshall, Emily Ramafikeng, Matumo |
| author_facet | Ramafikeng, Matumo Marshall, Emily |
| author_sort | Marshall, Emily |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Background: Language discordance, a challenge of miscommunication between health professionals and service users, is a concern for occupational therapy, a profession that foregrounds a client-centred partnership. Occupational therapy literature highlights language discordance as one of the biggest challenges encountered when working in the rural public health sector. Language discordance affects the quality of health services which results in misdiagnosis, informed consent violations, decreased service user satisfaction and safety risks, among others. Occupational therapy is not immune to these negative consequences. In a country as linguistically diverse as South Africa, the need to find effective ways to navigate language discordance in occupational therapy health care, is crucial. However, there is limited literature on language discordance and the strategies used to resolve the issue. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe strategies that occupational therapists working in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance and to understand the subsequent role that language discordance has on the quality of occupational therapy care. Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative descriptive design using semi-structured interviews with eight participants recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Findings: Four themes emerged, namely; using various communication strategies concurrently, language definitely impacts that therapy process, factors perpetuating language discordance and I'm doing everything that I can, what more can I do? Conclusion: The impact of language discordance on the quality of occupational therapy care is undeniable. However, the participants showed agency in navigating language discordance using personal and institutional resources amidst the complexities of applying various strategies concurrently in order to provide the best care that they could. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36481 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:41.376Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences |
| publisherStr | Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36481 Strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance: a qualitative descriptive study Marshall, Emily Ramafikeng, Matumo Clinical Laboratory Sciences Background: Language discordance, a challenge of miscommunication between health professionals and service users, is a concern for occupational therapy, a profession that foregrounds a client-centred partnership. Occupational therapy literature highlights language discordance as one of the biggest challenges encountered when working in the rural public health sector. Language discordance affects the quality of health services which results in misdiagnosis, informed consent violations, decreased service user satisfaction and safety risks, among others. Occupational therapy is not immune to these negative consequences. In a country as linguistically diverse as South Africa, the need to find effective ways to navigate language discordance in occupational therapy health care, is crucial. However, there is limited literature on language discordance and the strategies used to resolve the issue. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe strategies that occupational therapists working in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance and to understand the subsequent role that language discordance has on the quality of occupational therapy care. Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative descriptive design using semi-structured interviews with eight participants recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Findings: Four themes emerged, namely; using various communication strategies concurrently, language definitely impacts that therapy process, factors perpetuating language discordance and I'm doing everything that I can, what more can I do? Conclusion: The impact of language discordance on the quality of occupational therapy care is undeniable. However, the participants showed agency in navigating language discordance using personal and institutional resources amidst the complexities of applying various strategies concurrently in order to provide the best care that they could. 2022-06-20T13:20:04Z 2022-06-20T13:20:04Z 2022 2022-06-20T13:18:18Z Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36481 eng application/pdf Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty of Health Sciences |
| spellingShingle | Clinical Laboratory Sciences Marshall, Emily Strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance: a qualitative descriptive study |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance: a qualitative descriptive study |
| title_full | Strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance: a qualitative descriptive study |
| title_fullStr | Strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance: a qualitative descriptive study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance: a qualitative descriptive study |
| title_short | Strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal use to navigate language discordance: a qualitative descriptive study |
| title_sort | strategies that occupational therapists in the public health sector in kwazulu natal use to navigate language discordance a qualitative descriptive study |
| topic | Clinical Laboratory Sciences |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36481 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marshallemily strategiesthatoccupationaltherapistsinthepublichealthsectorinkwazulunatalusetonavigatelanguagediscordanceaqualitativedescriptivestudy |