An Analysis of Doctor-Patient Bilingual Interactions in Nsukka Metropolitan Hospitals

Abstract This study examines bilingual interactions between doctors and patients in public hospitals within Nsukka, Nigeria, focusing on language choice and code-switching practices. Drawing on Conversation Analysis (CA), the research explores the structural patterns of talk, the strategies of language accommodation, and how bilingual communication influences quality of care and patient satisfaction. The study adopted qualitative research design. Data comprised audio-recorded consultations in English and Igbo, systematically transcribed and analysed for turn-taking, adjacency pairs, repair mechanisms, and institutional talk. Findings reveal pervasive code-switching practices, strategic language choice to manage comprehension and rapport, and recurring accommodation behaviours such as convergence toward patient language. These bilingual practices play a vital role in mitigating misunderstandings, enhancing shared understanding, and shaping healthcare outcomes. The study contributes to scholarship on multilingual clinical communication and underscores the need for policy frameworks that integrate bilingual communicative competence into clinical training and practice.