Reconceptualizing intercultural communication in health care: a communicative perspective on interactions between international medical graduates and patients

Abstract Intercultural communication in health care is often conflated with interactions between health care providers and immigrant and minority patients. However, another important yet understudied dimension involves communication between international medical graduates (IMGs) and domestic patients. Although this topic has received attention from the field of medicine, it has rarely been investigated from a communication perspective. This article reviews existing studies on IMG–patient communication to identify research trends. In addition, this article introduces three communication perspectives, including intergroup, interpersonal, and sociolinguistic, to conceptualize IMG–patient interactions. Relevant communication theories and concepts from each perspective are introduced to guide future research. By applying these perspectives, communication scholars can advance the understanding of intercultural communication in health care and provide new insights into IMG–patient interactions.