Lost in translation: understanding patient and healthcare worker experiences and perceived effects of linguistic barriers to healthcare access in multilingual populations in Karnataka, India

Language barriers in healthcare can lead to communication disruption, misdiagnosis, poor health literacy, increased time and cost, and emotional distress for patients and healthcare workers. Extant literature demonstrates that linguistic barriers hindered access to healthcare and reduced quality of care among multilingual populations of India. The current study examines patient and healthcare provider perspectives on the perceived effects of language barriers on health communication, quality of care and patient experience in the multilingual state of Karnataka, India. The research was conducted with 50 participants—including 25 patients and 25 healthcare workers—with the studied population speaking 11 languages in total. The study involved administering surveys and interviews among the participants, conducting inductive reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's framework using NVivo 15, and examining participant demographics with SPSS version 26. Participants reported that language discordance contributed to reduced quality of care, increased time and cost of care, and added stress to patients and providers in the clinical setting. The study also examined the precipitating factors of language barriers, including social pressures and systemic deficiencies. Results highlight the need to address language barriers in Karnataka's multilingual healthcare system. Patient and provider input suggests that interdisciplinary action and the use of modern clinical translation technology may mitigate linguistic barriers and increase access to quality healthcare and improved health literacy.