Health care professional’s communication through an interpreter where language barriers exist in neonatal care: a national study

Abstract

Background A number of parents in neonatal care are foreign-born and do not speak the local language, which makes communication between healthcare professionals and parents more difficult. Interpreters can be used when language barriers exist - parent interactions, medical communication and communication about the care of the child . The aim in this study was to examine healthcare professionals’ use of interpreters and awareness of local guidelines for interpreted communication in neonatal care. Method A survey was distributed to all 2109 employees at all 38 neonatal units in Sweden, thus to all physicians, registered nurses and nurse assistants in active service. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and dichotomized so the professionals were compared in groups of two using the Mantel-Haenszel Chi Square test and Fisher’s Non Parametric Permutation test. Results The survey was answered by 41% ( n = 858) representing all neonatal units. The study showed a difference between the professional groups in awareness of guidelines, availability of interpreters, and individual resources to communicate through an interpreter. Nurse assistants significantly lesser than registered nurses ( p < .0001) were aware of guidelines concerning the use of interpreters. In emergency communications nurse assistants used authorized interpreters to a significantly lesser extent than physicians ( p < .0001) and registered nurses ( p < .0001). Physicians used authorized interpreters to a significantly higher extent than registered nurses ( p 0.006) and non-authorized interpreters to a significantly lesser extent than registered nurses ( p 0.013). In planned communications, nurse assistants used authorized interpreters to a significantly lesser extent than physicians ( p < .0001) and registered nurses ( p < .0001). Nurse assistants rated their ability to communicate with parents through an interpreter to a significantly lesser extent than physicians ( p 0.0058) and registered nurses ( p 0.0026). No other significant differences were found. Conclusion The results of the study show insufficient awareness of guidelines in all neonatal units in Sweden. Clinical implications might be to provide healthcare professionals with guidelines and training clinical skills in using interpreters and increasing the availability of interpreters by having interpreters employed by the hospital. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-019-4428-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Beyond challenges and enrichment: a qualitative account of cross-cultural experiences of nursing patients with an ethnic minority background in Norway

“…In fact, this decision is taken by the patients on many pragmatic grounds including the perception of delays, miscommunication, omission, and breach of privacy. These findings are concomitant with studies conducted in the past [ 23 , 25 , 50 ]. The findings also confirm that the communicational and linguistic gap was perceived by the nurses as a major threat to the timely provision of health care [ 23 , 51 ].…”

“…As to the communicational experiences of the nurses, it can be inferred that everyday interactions are not disturbed by the mere linguistic gap, and the need for the interpreter is required by nurses, depending on to the nature of the disease (e.g., diabetes) or the patient (e.g., newborn). These findings are supported by earlier studies that revealed nurses use mobile apps and gestures to communicate with patients on a daily basis [ 49 , 50 ]. It can be inferred from the findings that opting for an interpreter is not a ritualistic and ubiquitous stage of the caring process.…”

Intercultural Awareness of Nurses Towards Refugee Women and Newborns and Its Reflections on Nursing Care: A Qualitative Study

“…However, it is reported in the literature that the number of translators is not adequate, and translators are not available at all times, which is similar to the findings of the present study. 26,27,30 In a systematic review, nurses who work with adequate professional interpreters provide better care. It is also reported in previous studies that discharge planning, objective translation, and decision-making process are better when nurses have access to a professional interpreter.…”

Sociodemographic factors and family use of remote infant viewing in neonatal intensive care

“…This has been seen in adult primary care and medical subspecialty ambulatory care where non-English speakers had lower rates of telemedicine use [ 11 ]. Patients, parents, and their health care teams may experience barriers in communicating through interpreters, particularly if individuals who are not professional medical interpreters are used to facilitate communication [ 17 , 21 – 23 ]. The situation can be especially challenging if families’ preferred language is a language of lesser diffusion with limited availability of professional medical interpreters.…”

“…For example, low-income level, public insurance, unmarried status, and black race (due to systemic racism in the United States) have been associated with higher risk for preterm birth [ 16 ]. In addition, primary language affects communication between healthcare teams and families, which indirectly impacts newborn care [ 17 ].…”