Intercultural Pragmatics in Healthcare Communication

Medical communication is characterized by an essential cultural difference, as the nature of healthcare provider–patient interactions consists of an epistemic imbalance between the expert and the layperson. This specialized knowledge gap combines with other types of cultural differences, defined by mismatched background knowledge (including values, expectations, facts, or theories) and the proficiency in the use of distinct languages or dialects. Such cultural differences define a type of communication that is essentially and primarily intercultural.