Abstract

The paper develops the concept of language awareness (LA) by considering the material-social-discursive nexus of the communicative situation that affords professional practice. It also presents a mixed-methods study that provides a deeper and multi-layered understanding of LA in action and sets out a methodological framework for similar research in healthcare communication. Our study addresses: (i) the need for LA (re)conceptualisation in research on healthcare contexts, (ii) the ways in which a mixed-methods approach provides a deeper understanding of both implicit and explicit LA and (iii) the opportunities raised for reflection on practice through researcher-practitioner contact. Drawing on our linguistic ethnography of nurse shift-change handover meetings in a hospital unit, we draw on and expand van Lier’s model by demonstrating the shortcomings of limiting LA to awareness of language as system rather than as activity embedded in particular socio-discursive situations. Regarding nursing handovers, we argue that handover practice and ongoing patient safety not only require the implementation of communication protocols, but also depend on nurses’ reflective practice as the different types of interactions address crucially different levels of awareness. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and methodological contribution of our study to the fields of LA and healthcare communication.

摘要

本文通过考虑提供专业实践的交际情境的物质-社会-话语联系来发展语言意识（LA）的概念。它还提出了一种混合方法研究，该研究提供了对行动中LA的更深层次的理解，并为类似的医疗保健交流研究提供了方法框架。我们的研究解决了：（i）在医疗领域研究中需要LA（重新）概念化；（ii）混合方法对内隐和外显LA都有更深刻理解的方式；以及（iii）提出的机会通过研究人员与从业人员的联系来反思实践。利用我们在医院单位中护士轮班变更交接会议的语言人种学，我们通过展示范勒里尔模型的不足之处，展示了将洛杉矶局限在语言意识作为系统而非特定社会扰乱情况下的活动的局限性的缺点。关于护理移交，我们认为移交实践和持续的患者安全不仅需要实施通信协议，而且还依赖于护士的反思性实践，因为不同类型的互动解决了至关重要的不同认识水平。最后，我们讨论了研究对洛杉矶和医疗保健传播领域的理论和方法论贡献。我们认为，移交实践和持续的患者安全不仅需要实施通信协议，而且还取决于护士的反思性实践，因为不同类型的互动处理的认知水平至关重要。最后，我们讨论了研究对洛杉矶和医疗保健传播领域的理论和方法论贡献。我们认为，移交实践和持续的患者安全不仅需要实施通信协议，而且还取决于护士的反思性实践，因为不同类型的互动处理的认知水平至关重要。最后，我们讨论了研究对洛杉矶和医疗保健传播领域的理论和方法论贡献。