How to Overcome Language Barriers in Healthcare

The immigrant population in the United States may face language barriers depending on their individual mastery of English. Health care providers must overcome these barriers to establish a flow of communication for diagnosing and treating an ailment. By taking measures to decrease the barrier between patient and care provider, the hospital or clinic can provide better care and increase trust among non-English speaking patients.

Interpreters

• Trained interpreters are necessary for health care providers to obtain correct information for a patient and to relay proper treatment. When providers do not have access to trained interpreters, patients have to rely on family or friends. Although the friend or family member may be fluent in both English and the patient's language, often medical terminology such as "blood pressure" or "allergies" do not translate between the languages or are unknown to the interpreter. When a patient is familiar with the interpreter, they may speak less freely about ailments dealing with sex or other possibly embarrassing issues. In the study "Overcoming Language Barriers With Foreign-Language Speaking Patients" conducted at Geneva University Hospitals, researchers found that 66 percent of health care providers preferred working with "ad hoc" interpreters such as family, friends or untrained bilingual coworkers due to funding. For the good of foreign-language patients, hospitals and clinics must lobby for funding or redirect funds toward skilled interpreters.

Medical Documents

• Even when interpreters are available, medical documents can be forgotten and left in only English. These documents include aftercare instructions, information on the affliction or an overall health care guide. Not providing this information in the patient's native tongue causes a barrier in the patient's knowledge of their own health. Without the explicit knowledge of preventative and post-operative care, the patient risks the arising of additional health concerns. Medical documents should be available at all times in English and the languages of peoples with high populations in the surrounding area. When a patient receives care and the medical documents are not translated, the interpreter should translate the document before the patient leaves the facility.

Training

• Hospitals and smaller clinics provide training to staff in dealing with patients with limited English. Training can include access to language courses in one of the area's dominant languages. Although mastery of a foreign language can take years, it empowers confidence and trust with patients and allows health care providers to listen in on and verify information between the patient and interpreter. Cultural sensitivity in dealing with non-English speaking patients also increases the trust between a patient and the clinical staff. Sensitivity training includes how to deal with cultural differences among different populations as well as non-verbal communication when language is a barrier.

Partnerships

• Hospitals and clinics that develop a relationship with local community centers receive a wealth of information about interpreters. They also receive invitations to distinct cultural training seminars. Community centers can be based on nationality, region, faith or the overall refugee or immigrant experience. Health care providers offer seminars and services to the community in overall preventative health and screening measures while receiving a seat on the steering committee or inexpensive advertising opportunities.