Metaphors in Stories of Communicatively Challenging Resident-Patient Encounters

It is well-known that communication with patients can be seen as challenging by young doctors, e.g.
residents. While some studies have focused on residents’ experiences of communication challenges,
to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the language residents use when describing such
challenges. In this study, we explore the metaphors residents use when asked to share challenging
communication situations. Metaphor has been the focus of research in a variety of health-related
disciplines; here, we use it to gain an understanding of why these situations are seen as challenging.
Methodologically, we draw on metaphor-led discourse analysis, which facilitates a systematic
approach to the identification and analysis of metaphors in the empirical material. The material
consists of 138 Danish residents’ 259 narratives about communication challenges. We identified
more than 600 metaphors used in connection with accounting for communication challenges with
patients and their relatives. The metaphors are primarily driven by vehicles belonging to four
different categories, namely: ‘Location’, ‘movement’, ‘games and play’, and ‘(military) battle’. We
discuss the implications of these metaphors in relation to residents’ conceptualizations of
communication and challenges.