On any given day, if you were able to walk down the corridors of a hospital floor, you might see someone sitting outside a room, e-reader or book in hand, but always at the ready. They’re not a police officer standing guard over a suspect who was admitted, they’re not a nurse, physician, assistant, or hospital staff, but they have a badge. They are an interpreter. More specifically, an American Sign Language interpreter. The patient they are at the hospital for is hearing impaired. Every time hospital staff enter the room whether for that patient or someone they may share that room with, that interpreter accompanies them to interpret for the hearing impaired patient.
On that same day in another room of the hospital, you might encounter another person, not speaking much, brave, but unsure of what is happening around them fully. A nurse may come in and attempt to communicate with them, but the patient’s Limited English Proficiency prohibits them from completely understanding what is or will be happening to them. Sometimes an interpreter may get on a call with the patient and the provider and inform the patient on what is happening, but for other instances, the patient is expected to understand the best they can.
Later, after a disjointed understanding of the care they received at the hospital, the patient is given an after-visit summary which is basically useless to them because it is only in English. They could put their post-visit care instructions into a browser-based, public machine translation engine, but they would have to type those in manually, and there’s no quality process to make sure that the resulting translation is accurate.
Why the disparity in service?
Why is it that the hearing-impaired patient has a dedicated interpreter, or sometimes group of interpreters either on-site or remote over video while the non-English speaker struggles for equity and understanding in the medical treatment administered?
There are many reasons why someone with Limited English Proficiency might not speak up. On one hand, perhaps they do not want to be a bother or inconvenience the hospital staff, perhaps they are undocumented immigrants who fear being reported if discovered. Unlike the hearing-impaired community, many Limited English Proficiency patients do not know that it is their right to have an interpreter. The same service provided the hearing-impaired patient should be extended to the patient who does not understand English well. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that “businesses and nonprofit organizations that serve the public communicate effectively with people who have communication disabilities.” This not only applies to the hearing impaired but also those who are non-English speaking or who have Limited English Proficiency.
The Green Difference
That’s where Green Linguistics can help. We’re not just a language service provider, we’re your Language Solutions Partner.
All those after-visit summary and care notes are compiled by the click of a button. We can work with you to get your database of after visit summary, medication changes, and at-home care instructions translated properly so you can offer patients with Limited English Proficiency clear and accurate instructions in their language.
We can provide you with Over-the-Phone Interpreting and Video Remote Interpreting services in addition to interpreters on-site who can interpret for hospital staff and patients so none of the meaning or understanding is lost in communication.
Contact us today and we can arrange a time to sit down and find the best-fit solution for your organization.