Conflict in migrant doctor–local doctor communication in public healthcare institutions in Chile

Abstract

When investigating intercultural communication in healthcare settings, interprofessional communication has received very little scholarly attention compared to doctor–patient interactions. Interactions among doctors, however, are an important locus for the organizational life of a hospital as the way these professionals communicate will promote (or hinder) professional effectiveness and efficiency. This paper presents the findings of a study that explores the perceptions concerning the degree and frequency of communicative conflict of 61 migrant doctors working in public healthcare institutions in the central region of El Maule in Chile. Drawing on data from a survey on communicative conflicts, the study analyses the perceptions of the migrant doctors in relation to one particular style of conflict management, namely, adaptability. Findings show that although communicative conflicts seem to occur only occasionally, moderate scores are reported for how such perceptions are believed to affect work performance. Also, the demands of communicative adaptability are perceived to be met largely by migrant doctors alone. The paper then offers considerations about the possible impact that these adaptability efforts could have on migrant doctors’ integration processes.