Profession

Hospital study says interpreters can improve care

Some health care organizations are trying to reach patients of different cultures and health literacy levels.

By Damon Adams — Posted Sept. 18, 2006

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Providing language-assistance services and improving staff communication skills are ways that hospitals can reduce language and cultural barriers and better communicate with patients, a new report said.

The Commonwealth Fund report, released in August, studied eight hospitals across the country that are committed to fostering patient-centered communication with diverse patient populations.

Researchers discovered that the hospitals have strong community ties, relationships that help keep hospitals informed of changing patient populations and communication needs. They hire staff who reflect and understand ethnic and other diverse aspects of the patient population, the report said.

Also, the hospitals found that using interpreters provided better quality care and led to fewer unnecessary tests. The report said cross-cultural communication is more effective when hospitals recognize the importance of culture, create a welcoming environment and use interpreters' strengths.

Researchers visited the facilities and compiled "promising practices" from the hospitals' efforts to cut language barriers and ensure effective interactions. Among the promising practices:

  • Providing language-assistance services.
  • Addressing low health literacy.
  • Developing a diverse and skilled work force.
  • Collecting information on patient needs.

"Engaging your patients in whatever you're going to do to improve communication is going to be worthwhile," said report co-author Matthew Wynia, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Ethics at the American Medical Association and executive director of the Ethical Force Program, a collaborative effort to develop systemwide performance measures for ethics.

The eight hospitals included San Francisco General Hospital; Iowa Health System in Des Moines, Iowa; Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Ill.; and Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Mass.

Back to top


External links

"Promising Practices for Patient-Centered Communication with Vulnerable Populations: Examples from Eight Hospitals," Commonwealth Fund report, August (link)

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn