Communication plays an important part in human life. Not only does it deal with various concerns and problems of our daily life, it also helps us facilitate information and knowledge sharing.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles a family member can play in a DoctorPatient medical consultation in Singapore via conversational analysis.
Findings indicate that accompanying family members tend to take on the role of watchdog and/or surrogate patient during doctor's consultation with patient.
By being the watchdog, he describes patient's illness background to the doctor, elaborates and explains on information from patient to doctor, challenges the information from patient to doctor, and clarifies and explain information from the doctor to patient.
By being the surrogate patient, he decides on the patient’s subsequent treatment, persuades patient to take on specific treatment, and expresses the views of the patient on their behalf.Bachelor of Arts in Chines
