As a follow up to our discussion in class, I read an
article written by a doctor in residence in Phoenix, Arizona about the difficulties of not speaking the same language as the patient. We discussed the distrust that many of us would feel if we were unable to communicate effectively with a doctor. Doctors make life changing decisions based on what the patients tell them, which could be dangerous if there is a language barrier and the wrong information comes across. Luckily, the health industry has recognized this problem. The doctor in resident that wrote the article mentions having access to a telephone line that has medical interpreters for dozens of languages. I think this is a crucial resource when we live in such a diverse country and I am definitely not alone in that statement. For example, the
Vermont Medical Society has posted that in Vermont law requires translators for non-English speakers. Medical translation companies, as a result, are thriving. A basic google search for such translating companies bring up many useful pages. There are even online sites for
medical document translation. I'm really glad to see that there are so many resources to combat the language barriers within the medical field.
Hi Heather,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you chose to write about this topic. In Brooklyn, NY (where I live), the doctors in my community all speak Russian. The doctors who do not speak Russian have Russian secretaries and interpreters. They have realized that the success of their medical practice depends on their ability to speak the language of their patients. Not only does language competency help them understand their patients, but the doctors are also more aware of cross-cutural barriers and understanding of conditions like ADHD.
I definitely agree that this is a very important topic. I wonder if there are more strategies and plans in place to even further strengthen the medical field surrounding issues of language and translation; for example, even though having access to many translators over the phone is beneficial, a patient who primarily receives care through multiple interpreters/translators/medical professionals, rather than one medical professional who can directly examine and communicate them, will probably be much more at risk for miscommunication, mistreatment, etc. Perhaps implementing more outreach programs to get a wider range of language speakers into the medical profession (and to be the actual practitioners interacting with the patients) can be seen as one possible solution.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see that the medical field is making a greater effort to help non-English speakers, but I don't feel like that comes close to solving the problem. They also need to take into account cultural differences. Simply translating word-for-word is not the same as speaking in the same language. A lot of patients choose doctors based on how comfortable they are with the doctor and the general vibe they get when talking to him or her. Non-English speaking patients lose this important doctor-patient relationship.
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