Effective communication barriers in clinical teaching among Malaysian medical students in Zagazig Faculty of Medicine (Egypt)

INTRODUCTION: Effective communication in a clinical environment plays a vital role in patient assessment and treatment. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of Malaysian medical students concerning communication barriers during clinical practice. The goal was to provide answers for three important research questions, i.e., 1) Are communication barriers an impediment to Malaysian students during clinical teaching? 2) What is the nature of the language barriers that the students encounter? and 3) What are the best ways of reducing these barriers during clinical teaching?
METHODS: The qualitative method was used to conduct the research, and open-ended questionnaires were used to collect the data. The study was conducted on 95 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-year students, 80% of whom completed the study.
RESULTS: Medical students from Malaysia who have limited knowledge of the Arabic language experience some difficulties in communicating with staff members, patients, and nurses during their clinical practices.
CONCLUSION: Successful orientation of students to the language used in the clinical environment will help the students overcome the communication barriers they encounter during their clinical practices.
KEYWORDS: Arabic language; Malaysia; clinical environment; communication barriers; medical students