Description
- Abstract:
- Background: Effective communication in healthcare, especially in community health centers with linguistically diverse populations, is crucial for high-quality care. Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC) exemplify this challenge, catering to 60,000 patients, nearly half of whom require services in languages other than English. This project zeroes in on the language barriers at PCHC, emphasizing the need for effective translation and interpretation services to ensure high-quality care for all patients. Objectives: ● Explore healthcare providers' perceptions towards translation and interpretation services at PCHC ● Identify challenges and barriers in providing effective interpretation services Methods: Study Design: A qualitative study based on literature, using semi-structured interviews for data collection. Setting: Conducted at PCHC sites. Participants: 18 healthcare providers, including 11 doctors and 7 nurses, were selected through purposive sampling for diverse perspectives. Instruments: Interviews were conducted in-person, via Zoom, or by phone for flexibility. Results: A considerable need for interpretation services was identified, with Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese being prominent. In-person interpretation was preferred for its effectiveness in conveying nuances and understanding non-verbal cues. In contrast, the use of remote interpretation services was found to increase workload and prolong patient encounters, highlighting underuse and associated challenges like technical issues, difficulty finding interpreters for less common languages, and reliance on untrained personnel. Recommendations include enhancing technology-based interpretation, increasing in-person interpreter availability, and improving healthcare provider training in linguistic competence. Conclusion: Translation services are pivotal in bridging language gaps in healthcare, with the study's findings aiming to guide improvements in language support services. Despite progress, significant challenges persist, necessitating a comprehensive approach that encompasses policy changes, technological advancements, and better training for healthcare providers to ensure health equity and improved patient outcomes.
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Citation
Ogbaa, Adanne, Hall, Chanita, and Saal, Karen,
"Lost in Translation: Unveiling Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on Interpretation Services in Community Health"
(2024).
Gateways to Medicine, Health Care, and Research.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/fjev-hw59
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Gateways to Medicine, Health Care, and Research
The Gateways Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University provides academically promising, motivated students new pathways to careers in the health sciences. This collection houses scholarly works produced by Master of Science in Medical Sciences (ScM) students …...