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Strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2021
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| _version_ | 1867613971801964544 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Hlungwani, Nyiko Cynthia |
| author2 | Swartz, Leslie |
| author_browse | Hlungwani, Nyiko Cynthia Swartz, Leslie |
| author_facet | Swartz, Leslie Hlungwani, Nyiko Cynthia |
| author_sort | Hlungwani, Nyiko Cynthia |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/123692 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:37.487Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/123692 Strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers Hlungwani, Nyiko Cynthia Swartz, Leslie Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. UCTD Health care system Intellectual disability Delivery of health care -- People with mental disabilities People with mental disabilities -- Communication Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Language is a structured form of communication. It can be spoken or written but it is used to transmit messages from one person to the next. For a proper flow of communication to exist between two individuals linguistic understanding also has to exist. Most vital services that exist within society require the use of language to form the basis of the work. For instance, within the health care system, health care workers need to understand the language of the patient in order for them to diagnose and assist accordingly. Mental health care relies centrally on interaction for assessment, diagnosis and treatment. In multilingual countries like South Africa, the health care system faces challenges in terms of language. In many cases the health care workers speak the language of the minority within the community. There are measures that can be put in place which aim to bridge the linguistic gap that exists. In the Western Cape there is a language committee which tries to ensure that the three dominant languages spoken in the Western Cape are utilised equally. In one of the projects which was led by the Western Cape government and Stellenbosch University, community interpreters were allocated to different public hospitals within the province. One of the hospitals which benefited from the project was Alexandra Hospital which is a specialised hospital for people with intellectual disability and complex mental health needs. Many of the residents and outpatients of the hospital have verbal deficits. The interpreter at the hospital has adopted strategies which aim at improving communication as a whole with the patients. The researcher accompanied the interpreter at the hospital for four weeks, which has led to an understanding of some of the strategies that the interpreter utilises to communicate with the patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with about 50 health care workers who work with the patients on a daily basis. Other interviews were conducted with other health care professionals (doctors, psychologist, occupational therapist and psychiatrist) who interact with the patients occasionally. The results showed that there is a huge difference between how the interpreter and the health professionals works together with the patients and how health care workers communicate with the patients. There were also different views that emerged between the health care workers and the health care professionals about the interpreter. The health care workers who are with the patients on a daily basis did not see communication and the usage of the interpreter as important. They believe that the patients are able to take instructions from them. On the other hand, the health care professionals see the need and the importance of working with the interpreter to eliminate language as well as communication barriers that exist. The thesis ends with some recommendations for future work. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Taal is ‘n gestruktureerde vorm van kommunikasie. Dit kan gepraat of geskryf word, maar dit word gebruik om boodskappe oor te dra van een persoon aan ‘n volgende. Vir behoorlike vloei van kommunikasie om tussen twee individue te bestaan, moet taalkundige begrip ook bestaan. Meeste noodsaaklike dienste, wat in die samelewing bestaan, vereis dat taal as basis vir die werk gebruik word. Byvoorbeeld, binne die gesondheidsorgstelsel moet gesondheidsorgwerkers die taal van die pasiënt verstaan om dienooreenkomstig te diagnoseer en bystand te verleen. Geestesgesondheidsorg steun by uitstek op interaksie vir assessering, diagnose en behandeling. In veeltalige lande, soos Suid-Afrika, staar die gesondheidsorgstelsel uitdagings in terme van taal in die gesig. Gesondheidsorgwerkers praat in baie gevalle die taal van die minderheid in die gemeenskap. Maatreëls, wat ten doel het om die taalkundige gaping wat bestaan te oorbrug, kan in plek gestel word. In die Wes-Kaap bestaan ‘n taalkomitee, wat poog om te verseker dat die drie dominante tale, wat in die Wes- Kaap gepraat word, op gelyke wyse gebruik word. In een van die projekte, wat deur die Wes- Kaapse regering en die Universiteit van Stellenbosch gelei is, is gemeenskapstolke aan verskillende openbare hospitale in die provinsie toegewys. Een van die hospitale wat uit die projek gebaat het, was Alexandra-hospitaal, ‘n gespesialiseerde hospitaal vir persone met intellektuele gestremdhede en komplekse geestesgesondheidsbehoeftes. Baie van die inwoners en buite-pasiënte van die hospitaal het verbale tekorte. Die tolk by die hospitaal het strategieë aanvaar wat ten doel het om kommunikasie in geheel met pasiënte te verbeter. Die navorser het die tolk vir vier weke by die hospitaal vergesel, wat tot ‘n begrip van sekere van die strategieë wat die tolk gebruik om met pasiënte te kommunikeer gelei het. Semi- gestruktureerde onderhoude is met omtrent 50 gesondheidsorgwerkers, wat daagliks met die pasiënte werk, gevoer. Ander onderhoude is met ander professionele gesondheidsorgpersone (dokters, sielkundige, arbeidsterapeut en psigiater), wat soms met die pasiënte interaksie het, gevoer. Die resultate het getoon dat daar ‘n groot verskil bestaan tussen hoe die tolk en die professionele gesondheidsorgpersone met pasiënte saamwerk en hoe die gesondheidsorgwerkers met pasiënte kommunikeer. Verskillende sieninge oor die tolk het ook tussen gesondheidsorgwerkers en professionele gesondheidsorgpersone geblyk. Die gesondheidsorgwerkers, wat daaglikse by die pasiënte is, het nie die kommunikasie en gebruik van die tolk as belangrik beskou nie. Hulle glo dat pasiënte instruksies van hulle kan neem. Aan die ander kant, sien die professionele gesondheidsorgpersone die nodigheid en belangrikheid daarvan om met die tolk te werk om taal- en kommunikasiehindernisse, wat bestaan, uit te skakel, in. Die tesis eindig met ‘n paar aanbevelings vir toekomstige werk. Masters 2021-10-13T06:02:48Z 2021-12-22T14:16:11Z 2021-10-13T06:02:48Z 2021-12-22T14:16:11Z 2021-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/123692 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 144 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Health care system Intellectual disability Delivery of health care -- People with mental disabilities People with mental disabilities -- Communication Hlungwani, Nyiko Cynthia Strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers |
| title | Strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers |
| title_full | Strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers |
| title_fullStr | Strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers |
| title_short | Strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers |
| title_sort | strategies utilised by an interpreter at alexandra hospital to enhance communication and eliminate communication barriers |
| topic | UCTD Health care system Intellectual disability Delivery of health care -- People with mental disabilities People with mental disabilities -- Communication |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/123692 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hlungwaninyikocynthia strategiesutilisedbyaninterpreteratalexandrahospitaltoenhancecommunicationandeliminatecommunicationbarriers |