Language can become a barrier in healthcare settings. Effective communication is key to a patient’s satisfaction and successful treatment outcomes when they seek medical care. However, if there is a language barrier between the patient and the doctor, nurse, or staff, it may be dangerous to the patient, given the serious nature of medical services.
What Is Medical On-Site Interpretation
Medical on-site interpretation helps with the communication among healthcare staff and patients who require these kinds of services. This interpretation ensures that patients who don’t speak the native language, or are not proficient, receive the quality and accurate professional treatment.
Medical on-site interpretation also guarantees equal opportunities to foreign patients, allowing them to understand their diagnosis, aftercare instructions and follow-up recommendations.
When is Medical On-Site Interpretation Needed?
For healthcare facilities, having medical interpreters can be very beneficial in many scenarios:
- Emergency Cases: If an LEP patient needs urgent medical attention, medical interpreters will translate to the staff the symptoms the patient describes, as well as any additional information of interest. At the same time, they will communicate the diagnosis, procedures, and care to the patient and family.
- Non-verbal Communication: An on-site interpreter can help collect crucial non-verbal cues to interpret a message. These cues can often get lost through a video conversation.
- Medical Evaluations: Interpreters can help doctors and their patients with documentation related to med-legal evaluations, vital documents, forms, and notices.
- Confidentiality: On-site interpreters always maintain the principles of strict medical confidentiality between a doctor and the patient.
Atlas Language Services provides on-site medical interpretation services to help patients and healthcare personnel communicate accurately, effectively and confidentially. Please contact us for more information.