Effective communication is a key component of patient safety and compliance, accurate
diagnosis and health promotion1. Health communication as a field was first recognized in 1975 when the Health Communication Division of the International Communication Association was founded. It is defined as the study and use of methods to inform and influence individual and community decisions that improve health2. One key aspect of health communication at an individual level is the day to day doctor-patient interactions and the problems associated with it. Efficient doctor-patient communication can help in regulating patients' emotions, facilitate better comprehension of medical information, and allow for better identification of patients' needs, perceptions, and expectations. Studies have shown that patients reporting good communication with their doctor are more likely to be satisfied with their care as they share pertinent information for accurate diagnosis of their problems, follow advice, and adhere to the prescribed treatment3. However, the doctor-patient interaction is a complex process, and serious miscommunication is a potential pitfall, especially in terms of patients' understanding of their prognosis, purpose of care, expectations, and involvement in treatment4. One of the main dimensions of doctor-patient interaction is the cross-cultural communication barriers associated with it especially when the patient belongs to a linguistic or ethnic minority. For example, previous studies have shown that communication between minority patients and physicians is characterized by doctors' biased expectations, patients' perceptions of discrimination, linguistic asymmetry, and self-fulfilling prophecy spirals5. Patients belonging to the lower socio-economic strata such as low skilled migrant laborers are more vulnerable to such communication barriers. This project plans to perform a comparative study of doctor-patient interactions and the associated barriers between the eastern and western world through literature review and secondary research. The paper will bring in dialogue the ideologies of the stalwarts of the domain and discuss the key issues plaguing it. References 1. Johnson RL, Roter D, Powe NR, Cooper LA. Patient race/ethnicity and quality of patient-physician communication during medical visits. Am J Public Health. 2004;94(12):2084-90. 2. Freimuth VS, Quinn SC. The contributions of health communication to eliminating health disparities. Am J Public Health. 2004;94(12):2053-5. 3. Ha JF, Longnecker N. Doctor-patient communication: a review. Ochsner J. 2010;10(1):38-43. 4. Ahmed, S., Lee, S., Shommu, N., Rumana, N., & Turin, T. (2017). Experiences of communication barriers between physicians and immigrant patients: A systematic review and thematic synthesis. Patient Experience Journal, 4(1), 122-140 5. Perloff, R. M., Bonder, B., Ray, G. B., Ray, E. B., & Siminoff, L. A. (2006). Doctor-Patient Communication, Cultural Competence, and Minority Health: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives. American Behavioral Scientist, 49(6), 835–852