Interpreters help create safe hospital culture
Tuesday December 11, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
Creating a culturally-diverse hospital environment is an important part of promoting patient safety, says Dorothy Wong, co-ordinator of multicultural services at North York General Hospital.

At the core of a culturally-diverse hospital setting are the interpreters who act as the liaison between a patient who cannot speak English and hospital staff. Interpreters help the patient understand diagnosis, directions for taking medications and care plans.

They ensure the information the patient receives is correct and that the person fully understands what they’ve been told.

“If the information is not correct, or misunderstood, the patient could suffer. Enhancing communications helps promote a safe environment for all the patients we serve,” says Wong.

Wong cites pre-operation instruction as an example of how important it is to have seamless communication when consulting with a patient who doesn’t understand English.

“If the patient doesn’t understand that they need an empty stomach and can’t eat or drink after midnight, it could jeopardize the surgery,” she says.

Interpreters also help patients understand prescriptions, an important aspect of patient safety, Wong adds.

“An interpreter has to correctly relate the information on how to properly take the medication,” she said. “If the information is not correct, patient health is put at risk.”

Mandarin and Cantonese are the two most common requested languages for interpreters at North York General, but Korean, Spanish, Russian, Italian and Vietnamese are also in high demand.

To meet the demands of the culturally-diverse hospital, North York General has three types of interpreter services. There are 140 in-house interpreters fluent in 44 languages, outsourced companies specializing in interpretation and Language Line, a telephone translation service.

When there’s an emergency situation, hospital staff turns first to in-house interpreters. If in-house interpreters are unable to help the situation, an outside company will send someone in to help. Language Line is used if the first two options don’t work.

While family members or friends sometimes act as interpreters, there are problems which can arise from this, Wong notes.

Firstly, there’s the issue of doctor-patient confidentiality. Problems may also arise from family members or friends not properly understanding medical terminology. Cultural values, particularly as they relate to gender roles, must also be taken into consideration. Because of the sensitivity of some information, it might be difficult for a family member or friend to properly explain it to the patient.

“An interpreter remains neutral and impartial at all times,” says Wong.