Navigating Language Barriers: Challenges and Coping Strategies of Nurses in a Multilingual Long-Term Care Facility in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Full abstract

Read the full abstract

This study explored the challenges and coping strategies of nurses navigating language barriers in a multilingual long-term care facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Specifically, it examined how language barriers influence communication, patient safety, therapeutic relationships, and nurses’ professional experiences. A descriptive phenomenological design guided by Giorgi’s Descriptive Phenomenological Method was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively selected non-Arabic-speaking nurses providing direct patient care. Data were analyzed by identifying and transforming meaning units, followed by thematic synthesis. Findings revealed that language barriers were a persistent, multidimensional challenge affecting communication, care delivery, patient safety, therapeutic relationships, and nurses’ emotional well-being. Participants described communication as a continuous process of interpretation requiring reliance on nonverbal cues, translation tools, and support from colleagues. While nurses demonstrated adaptability through various coping strategies, these approaches were often inconsistent and insufficient, particularly in complex clinical situations. The essence of the phenomenon lay in a mismatch between patients' language needs and available communication resources. The study highlights the need for interpreter services, language training programs, standardized communication tools, and culturally responsive communication systems to support safe and patient-centered care. The findings contribute to the limited literature on nurses’ lived experiences of language barriers in long-term care settings in Abu Dhabi and provide insights for nursing practice, education, and healthcare policy.