Barreiras linguísticas na atenção à saúde dos imigrantes

Abstract

Introduction: In the migratory context, language barriers represent a central challenge to healthcare access, compromising the quality of care, understanding of medical guidance, treatment adherence, and the development of the doctor–patient relationship. In Brazil, the growing immigrant population and increasing linguistic and cultural diversity highlight the need to rethink healthcare practices and policies to ensure equitable and culturally sensitive care. Communication remains one of the pillars of medical practice and the humanization of care. Objective: To analyze, from the immigrants’ perspective, how language barriers influence access to health services, the quality of healthcare, and the development of the doctor–patient relationship in a specialized outpatient clinic. Method: This is a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive study conducted at the Ambulatório de Acolhimento em Saúde do Imigrante (Immigrant Health Care Clinic) of the Federal University of Fronteira Sul/Hospital São Vicente de Paulo (UFFS/HSVP), in Passo Fundo, Brazil. The sample consisted of seven immigrants attending their first medical consultation between March and June 2025. Most participants were from Venezuela, with an average length of residence in Brazil of 2.6 years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded and fully transcribed. Bardin’s content analysis method was used for data interpretation. Results: Although participants did not perceive the language barrier as an absolute obstacle, it was present and caused communication difficulties— not only in clinical encounters but also during the research interviews. However, this barrier was mitigated by factors such as the linguistic proximity between Portuguese and Spanish and the mutual communicative effort undertaken by professionals and patients. These findings align with studies emphasizing that language barriers can exacerbate vulnerabilities while demonstrating that language proficiency and culturally sensitive communication enhance treatment adherence and strengthen the doctor–patient bond. Conclusion: Language barriers directly affect equity, autonomy, and the quality of healthcare provided to immigrants. Addressing this issue requires more than individual translation strategies; it demands institutional and political recognition of linguistic plurality as part of the right to health. It is essential to promote public policies that ensure linguistically mediated access to care, train healthcare professionals in intercultural communication skills, and overcome hegemonic conceptions of language and territory—acknowledging that Brazil is not a monolingual country. The experience of the Ambulatório de Atenção Integral à Saúde do Imigrante (UFFS/HSVP) reinforces that humanized care, attentive to each patient’s linguistic and cultural particularities, strengthens trust and the doctor–patient relationship.