Pietersen, Nica2025-10-202024Pietersen, Nica . (2024). How occupational therapists attempt to overcome language barriers in South Africa [Master`s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/47108https://hdl.handle.net/10539/47108A research report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, in the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Therapeutic Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024Background: South Africa is a diverse country with twelve official languages and a number of protected languages. There is no expectation for healthcare practitioners to be conversant in multiple languages, creating potential language barriers within healthcare settings. The National Health Act, as well as other important policies driving healthcare provision, outline the importance of patient understanding of healthcare provisions. Overcoming these potential language barriers is therefore paramount to ensure patients’ participation healthcare. This report aims to explore how occupational therapists attempt to overcome language barriers in South Africa. Aim: The aim of this research is to determine whether occupational therapists in South Africa perceive a language barrier to be present in their interaction with patients, and to describe the methods (if any) they use to overcome such perceived barriers. Methods: This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey design. Data were gathered through closed- and open-ended questions. Results: The study included 232 participants. Occupational therapists in South Africa experience language barriers more often than not when practicing. By gathering information about their patients’ language preferences, implementing various translation methods (ad hoc translation, machine translation, non-verbal communication and attempted learning of their patients’ language), occupational therapists felt competent in overcoming these barriers to ensure effective provision of services, contradicting the experiences reported by occupational therapists practicing in the Global North, possibly as a result of the high frequency of a common language being used in therapy. Conclusions: Occupational therapists in South Africa experience high frequencies of language barriers but feel competent and confident in overcoming these barriers through an implementation of various techniques simultaneously. Further research into patients’ experience must be done.en© 2024 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.UCTDOccupational TherapistsLanguage barriersDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSDG-3: Good health and well-being