Medical Interpreters

Appropriate use of medical interpreters.

More than 25 million Americans speak English "less than very well," according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This population is less able to access health care and is at higher risk of adverse outcomes such as drug complications and decreased patient satisfaction. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act mandates that interpreter services be provided for patients with limited English proficiency who need t...

Medical Interpreters' Construction of a Mediator Role

Smith, R. C., Gardiner, J. c., Lyles, J. S., Sirbu, c., Dwamena, F. c., Hodges, A., et al. (2005). Exploration of the DSM-IV criteria in primary care patients with medically unexplained symptoms. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67, 123-129. Waitzkin, H. (1991). The politics of medical encounters: How patients and doctors deal with social problems. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Waitzkin, H., & B...

Teaching and assessing family medicine clerks' use of medical interpreters.

BACKGROUND Academic health centers must develop strategies to prepare health care providers to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population. METHODS We designed a curriculum module, including didactic presentation and a standardized patient experience, to teach and evaluate the knowledge and skills necessary for third-year family medicine clerks to effectively communicate with non-Eng...

Is the use of interpreters in medical consultations justified

Communicating with immigrants: medical interpreters in health care.

Effective communication between health care providers and immigrants who may speak little or no English is the foundation of evaluation and treatment and the most important component of the doctor-patient relationship. An immigrant in Rhode Island may speak any one of a number of languages; Spanish, Portuguese, Cambodian and Italian are the most widely spoken. Although many physicians and other...