Importance of Qualified Medical Interpreters in Healthcare

Doctors must interact successfully with their patients in a healthcare setting. It is rather difficult for a doctor to deliver the best possible care when a patient's English skills are weak. A medical translator can assist in opening lines of communication and ensuring that patients receive the care they need.

Medical Interpreters' Roles

A medical interpreter's job is to make it easier for a health care professional and a patient who doesn't speak the same language to communicate. Hospitals, physicians’ offices, clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and mental health clinics can all benefit from their services. Their job includes listening to the doctor or other health care practitioner and interpreting the material into the patient's local language in a way that they can comprehend. After listening to the patient's response, the medical interpreter will translate it into suitable medical jargon and return it to the expert.

Importance of medical interpreters in healthcare

Communication is essential for complete comprehension

A skilled medical interpreter increases understanding and compliance at every step of the patient's healthcare journey, minimizing the chance of misunderstandings and misdiagnoses, which can lead to more visits, more extended hospital stays, and higher costs. A medical interpreter has undergone extensive training to guarantee that the patient comprehends all aspects of their diagnosis.

Accurate & non-biased communication

Patients in pain or anxiety or who have complicated diagnoses or treatments are frequently forced to make major decisions. Using a competent medical interpreter to communicate with patients avoids any emotional bias or further family trauma while also conveying the correct information. When interpreting a patient who speaks a different language, even the tiniest mistake can endanger their lives. The janitor, receptionist, or patient's family member may understand the language which the doctor speaks. Still, they lack medical expertise and cannot determine which information is critical for a doctor to know, such as whether the patient takes Aspirin or has any underlying medical concerns. This is possibly the most crucial argument for interpreters in healthcare.

Risk reduction

Misdiagnosis, insufficient informed consent, and failure to follow treatment programs can all be reduced with the support of professional medical interpreters. These factors could result in adverse outcomes, lawsuits, and increased costs. Even the tiniest interpretive error can result in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit that might bankrupt you.

Patient satisfaction improves when they understand what's going on

The greater the satisfaction level, the more the patient understands and appreciates. Because they do not understand the experience, procedure, treatment, or care, LEP patient satisfaction scores are lower than English speakers which calls for a professional medical translation service.

Comply with all applicable laws and regulations

Compliance with rules and regulations allows healthcare providers to maximize compensation while avoiding penalties. The financial status of a healthcare institution is influenced by Title VI, The Joint Commission, The Americans with Disabilities Act, HIPAA, and the Affordable Care Act. State laws differ. However, in the United States, federal law currently mandates that all patients have access to a qualified medical interpreter. Patients now have the right to protest if your facility does not offer them a medical interpreter. Failure to provide linguistic help to patients who are not entirely competent in English may be illegal. Hence it is highly recommended that you use medical document translation services to avoid regulatory issues.

The price of not using a professional interpreter

According to an NPR report, the American College of Emergency Physicians conducted a study that looked at interpretation errors with clinical implications and found that "the error rate was substantially lower for professional interpreters than for ad hoc interpreters–12% as opposed to 22 percent." Individuals who are used as interpreters but have no formal training are referred to as ad hoc interpreters. Family members, bilingual nurses, or virtually anyone who claims to be multilingual and is accessible at the appointment are frequently included.

How can medical interpreters qualify?

Professionals with credentials

Medical interpreters who have completed a recognized certification body's language and interpreter ethics training is deemed certified. These interpreters are also schooled in medical terminology to handle the sometimes-tricky language associated with the healthcare industry. According to studies, inadequate medical translation has been linked to lengthier inpatient stays and negative physical results in LEP patients. Medical interpretation can occur in person, over the phone, or via video conferencing. Linguists prefer in-person interpretation because it allows them to examine body language that can help them decode spoken language.

It is not just about speaking the language alone

A strong interpreter in a hospital environment possesses a variety of features. Above all, these language experts should be highly skilled bilinguals with a thorough understanding of the medical area. Other than spoken language, however, various factors play a role in successful medical translation services. When looking for an interpreter, aim for someone from the same region as the patient to ensure similar cultural norms. Furthermore, interpreters should speak the same dialect as the patient, not just the same language. The success of an interpretation session can also be influenced by gender. For example, in the event of a pregnant LEP patient, it is advisable to appoint a female translator. A doctor's visit centered around male reproductive health is likewise best mediated by a male medical interpreter. In these cases, having an interpreter of the same gender would be more comfortable for the patient. Similarly, it is not a good idea to wear clothing that could be distracting while interpreting. It's best to keep things as impartial as possible

Desire to help others

Speaking the same language as patients is not only beneficial to patient outcomes, but it also demonstrates a willingness to reach out to people from different cultures. The more knowledge medical professionals, interpreters, and patients have regarding healthcare interpretation, the more likely the encounter will be helpful to all parties involved.

If you've been avoiding medical translation services for any reason, then now's the time you start considering it for the benefit of your practice and your peace of mind.

Lingual Consultancy has been delivering multilingual compliance solutions to our clients in the medical and surgical device, manufacturing, biotechnology, IVD, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries as well as to clinical research organizations (CROs).

For any medical translation requirements, drop an e-mail at [email protected] or contact us.