Bridging the language gap in healthcare: assessing physicians’ knowledge of simplified medical jargon in Arabic and their attitudes toward patient-physician communication training in Lebanese medical education

Effective communication skills are crucial for strengthening the patient-physician relationship and ensuring high-quality patient care. While Arabic is Lebanon’s official and most widely spoken language, medical education is primarily conducted in English or French. This language barrier may hinder effective communication between doctors and patients from diverse educational backgrounds. This study aims to evaluate how the use of simplified medical terminology and the Arabic mother tongue affects physician-patient communication by assessing physicians’ knowledge of Arabic and simplified terms, as well as their attitude toward communication with patients. This observational cross-sectional study was conducted among Lebanese patients and physicians from various hospitals across different regions of Lebanon. Data were collected through an anonymous questionnaire designed to assess patient and physician satisfaction with their communication and their familiarity with Arabic medical terminology. The Arabic Usage Tool (AUT) measured physicians’ ability to communicate using simplified medical jargon and Arabic, while the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) was used to evaluate physicians’ attitudes toward learning communication skills and the factors influencing them, The Chi-square test was used for associations between nominal variables, while ANOVA and Student’s t-test were used for associations between continuous variables. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 938 patients and 388 physicians participated in this study. A significant proportion of physicians (45.12%) demonstrated poor knowledge of Arabic medical terminology. A higher knowledge score was significantly associated with male physicians, older age, higher income, and more advanced academic standing. Additionally, 59.5% of physicians expressed a positive attitude toward learning communication skills. A positive attitude was significantly associated with older physicians, higher income, attending status, graduation after 2020, and specialization in internal medicine (All p values (< 0.05). Arabic communication courses were strongly supported by physicians aged 22–25 (42.6%), ≥ 44 years (36.4%), and recent graduates. Support is higher among those who haven’t previously taken a communication course (All p values (< 0.05). In Lebanon, where Arabic is the native and predominantly spoken language among patients, most physicians demonstrated limited proficiency in Arabic medical terminology. However, they showed a positive attitude toward enhancing their communication skills. This study underscores the importance of incorporating Arabic language training into medical school curricula in Arabic-speaking countries, as such courses are appreciated by both students and physicians and contribute to better healthcare outcomes.