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The Cultural and Political Context of Patient Dissatisfaction in Cross‐Cultural Clinical Encounters: A Canadian Inuit Study
Author(s) -
O'Neil John D.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
medical anthropology quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.855
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1548-1387
pISSN - 0745-5194
DOI - 10.1525/maq.1989.3.4.02a00020
Subject(s) - politics , interpreter , ideology , context (archaeology) , perspective (graphical) , interpretation (philosophy) , patient satisfaction , colonialism , political science , sociology , psychology , nursing , medicine , public relations , history , law , archaeology , artificial intelligence , computer science , programming language
In 1986 patient dissatisfaction with medical services in some Canadian Inuit communities reached alarming proportions. Many observers attributed the problem to poor communication. Through an analysis of the process of interpretation in the clinic from a historical and sociopolitical perspective, I investigated the relationship between patient satisfaction and clinical communication. Political and ideological barriers inherent in a colonial medical system were found to constrain Inuit medical interpreters from advocating for their patients' interests and thereby increasing satisfaction with the care. Enhancing Inuit interpreters' capacity to act as advocates may be possible only through changes in administrative priorities that result from macropolitical change.