Communication accommodation between healthcare providers at a private hospital in England : how does identity talk?

Abstract

A healthcare environment consists of a number of people who perform different roles, and at differing levels of seniority on the workplace hierarchy. How these people communicate with each other is based on many individual factors, including language, culture, ethnicity, and in what way they perceive their own and others’ seniority. These factors can complicate communication, and lead to communication that is ineffective and/or failed. This thesis used the Communication Accommodation Theory to explain how verbal communication between healthcare providers is achieved, and Social Identity Theory to explain why communication is achieved in a particular way. Through analysis of one-on-one interviews with a cross-section of healthcare providers at a private hospital in England this study aimed to research the role of social identity in communication between healthcare providers. Comprehension and open communication were found to be the ultimate aim of most communicative interactions between healthcare providers, irrespective of professional function or rank. It is believed this study has implications for the awareness of the way in which healthcare providers communicate with each other, and could increase the efficacy of such communication and the quality of healthcare received by patients.