By: Julie Joyce

Thanks to the development of globalization and the increase in migration in the last twenty years, the health system has experienced a disproportionate growth in the demand for qualified medical interpreters, capable of allowing effective communication between non-resident patients and health providers. These changes have been most noticeable in the United States, where there has been an unprecedented increase in patients with limited English proficiency.

For this reason, the Health Workers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) met in recent days to learn more about the importance, preparation, and requirements that medical health interpreters need to provide a better service to community members.

Procedures, cultural barriers, and communicative autonomy were some of the topics that were addressed in this training that lasted 40 hours and that allowed leaders of the Hispanic and Marshallese communities to expand their knowledge to provide better resources to the community using and practicing what they learned in the different areas in which they work.

There are a number of situations where medical interpreters can ensure smooth communication between patients and healthcare providers,

 For example: when reviewing a medical record; when giving a diagnosis; when performing medical procedures; for a better understanding of treatments and prescriptions; for discharge approval and follow-up instructions; when entering the emergency room or needing urgent care; for initial medical consultations; physical checkups; surgery; consent; among others.

On the other hand, in the research area, there is a high demand for these professionals, since clinical trials often collaborate with patients from diverse backgrounds, so it is unlikely that all participants will be able to communicate in a common language. As we know, clear and precise communication between physicians and patients during this process is essential to assess the success of the consultation and ensure an adequate bilingual exchange, especially if the communication needs to be transcribed and certified as part of the study.

Additionally, while most medical interpreters are responsible for working with patients and healthcare providers, they may also be required to work with others, such as family members or patient representatives, as they provide culturally relevant information to facilitate the support of treatment plans, and help respect the patient’s cultural beliefs and values.

Knowing the importance of this skill can make language barriers just barriers. With this new knowledge, community health workers hope to overcome these language barriers by providing clear, accurate and timely information to improve navigation of the health system.