“In some ways it feels like a specialism”: Exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals – A qualitative interview study
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the experience of multilingual maternity staff working in UK NHS hospitals. Methods: As part of an exploratory qualitative descriptive approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with multilingual healthcare professionals, working in perinatal care...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | PEC Innovation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277262822500007X |
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| author | Emma Brooks |
| author_facet | Emma Brooks |
| author_sort | Emma Brooks |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: This study aimed to investigate the experience of multilingual maternity staff working in UK NHS hospitals. Methods: As part of an exploratory qualitative descriptive approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with multilingual healthcare professionals, working in perinatal care in different NHS trusts across the United Kingdom. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and subsequently analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Where practitioners were able to draw on their linguistic skills, they felt that multilingualism was a specialism and appreciated by colleagues. Practitioners also felt that the utilisation of shared languages could boost the confidence of women and birthing people, as well as improving their understanding and sense of wellbeing. Conversely, several practitioners felt an obligation to offer linguistic support, noting that it added to a workload burden, and fear of litigation, that was not experienced by monolingual colleagues. Conclusion: Strategic utilisation of linguistically skilled NHS practitioners may hold the potential for advancing equity of care for migrant populations, who are regularly and disproportionately represented in data recording adverse outcomes. Innovation: Investing in institutional support and formal accreditation for multilingual health professionals would enable them to be able to operate with confidence, redress (invisibilized) workloads and contribute to advancing parity of care for migrant patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c798e9fd00cc4ee9a262e16a7c88c717 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2772-6282 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PEC Innovation |
| spelling | doaj-art-c798e9fd00cc4ee9a262e16a7c88c7172025-02-07T04:48:33ZengElsevierPEC Innovation2772-62822025-06-016100378“In some ways it feels like a specialism”: Exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals – A qualitative interview studyEmma Brooks0Corresponding author.; International Centre for Intercultural Studies, UCL Institute of Education, London, UKObjective: This study aimed to investigate the experience of multilingual maternity staff working in UK NHS hospitals. Methods: As part of an exploratory qualitative descriptive approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with multilingual healthcare professionals, working in perinatal care in different NHS trusts across the United Kingdom. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and subsequently analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Where practitioners were able to draw on their linguistic skills, they felt that multilingualism was a specialism and appreciated by colleagues. Practitioners also felt that the utilisation of shared languages could boost the confidence of women and birthing people, as well as improving their understanding and sense of wellbeing. Conversely, several practitioners felt an obligation to offer linguistic support, noting that it added to a workload burden, and fear of litigation, that was not experienced by monolingual colleagues. Conclusion: Strategic utilisation of linguistically skilled NHS practitioners may hold the potential for advancing equity of care for migrant populations, who are regularly and disproportionately represented in data recording adverse outcomes. Innovation: Investing in institutional support and formal accreditation for multilingual health professionals would enable them to be able to operate with confidence, redress (invisibilized) workloads and contribute to advancing parity of care for migrant patients.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277262822500007XMultilingualismDiversityPatient experienceWorkplace equityEDI |
| spellingShingle | Emma Brooks “In some ways it feels like a specialism”: Exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals – A qualitative interview study PEC Innovation Multilingualism Diversity Patient experience Workplace equity EDI |
| title | “In some ways it feels like a specialism”: Exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals – A qualitative interview study |
| title_full | “In some ways it feels like a specialism”: Exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals – A qualitative interview study |
| title_fullStr | “In some ways it feels like a specialism”: Exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals – A qualitative interview study |
| title_full_unstemmed | “In some ways it feels like a specialism”: Exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals – A qualitative interview study |
| title_short | “In some ways it feels like a specialism”: Exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals – A qualitative interview study |
| title_sort | in some ways it feels like a specialism exploring the lived experience of multilingual maternity professionals a qualitative interview study |
| topic | Multilingualism Diversity Patient experience Workplace equity EDI |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277262822500007X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emmabrooks insomewaysitfeelslikeaspecialismexploringthelivedexperienceofmultilingualmaternityprofessionalsaqualitativeinterviewstudy |