Why use an English-Speaking Doctor in Spain?

If English is your mother tongue then using an English-speaking Doctor in Spain may have better treatment outcomes.

You may have lived in Spain for many years and speak Spanish very well, but effective communication between physicians and patients is critical to providing optimal health care. Communication failures can occur when both parties speak the same language; when they do not, these failures are even more common.

Research shows that language concordance between patients and Doctors results in better health care quality and outcomes. True language concordance occurs when Spanish Doctors are fluent in English.

If your mother tongue is English and you see an English-speaking Doctor it will be beneficial for treatment quality and outcomes. Even for partially fluent physicians, providing language concordant care may be appropriate and even desirable in some settings and circumstances.

When dealing with the expat community in Spain, it would seem that physician language proficiency is important for quality of care. Studies have shown that language concordance between patients and providers results in improved health care quality and outcomes. English-speaking patients whose Doctor also speaks English have better patient satisfaction with care (; ), medication adherence, understanding of diagnoses and treatment outcomes.

Research also shows that having an English-speaking Doctor in Spain could lead to fewer emergency department visits, lower likelihood of missing medications. Physicians’ self-reported English fluency is strongly associated with their English-speaking patients’ reports of optimal patient-centred communication.

For a comprehensive list of English-Speaking Doctors in Spain see the ESHA Spain Directory listings  

For a comprehensive list of Hospitals or Medical Centres in Spain that is staffed by English-speaking Doctors see the ESHA Spain Directory Listing

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