Doctor–Patient Clinical Communication in Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba

Why Multilingual Fluency Improves Clinical Outcomes

In clinical settings across West Africa and diverse diaspora communities, patients express pain, distress, and subjective symptoms in their mother tongue or Nigerian Pidgin. When doctors communicate in the patient's preferred language, diagnostic accuracy and patient compliance soar.

Key Clinical Concepts in Nigerian Pidgin

• **"Hot body" / "Body dey hot"**: High fever or subjective pyrexia.
• **"My chest dey pepper me"**: Burning epigastric pain or GERD vs cardiac ischemia.
• **"Belle dey run me"**: Diarrhea or gastroenteritis.
• **"My eye dey turn me"**: Vertigo, lightheadedness, or presyncope.

Nuances in Yoruba Clinical Consultations

• **Àyà gbígbóná** (Heartburn or heat in the chest)
• **Ara kíkú** (Numbness or paresthesias)
• **Ojú fífúyẹ́** (Dizziness / vertigo)

Respectful greetings are vital. In Yoruba culture, addressing an elder patient with respectful pronouns (*Ẹ kálẹ́ o*, *Ẹ jọ̀ọ́*) establishes immediate therapeutic rapport.