How do health professionals decide whether an interpreter is needed for families in neonatal and pediatric units?

Abstract

Highlights Health professionals find it difficult to decide whether an interpreter is needed Health professionals' attitudes and goals affect their decision making about interpreters There is marked variability in the decision-making process individual health professionals use Training is needed, including a decision tool, to assist health professionals' decisions Objective: To examine how health professionals decide whether family members require an interpreter. Methods: 69 health professionals, doctors, nurses, and allied health, from neonatal and pediatric units participated. Interviews used a verbal protocol analysis, which elicited their thoughts about using interpreters, including how they decided if an interpreter was needed. Results: Five themes captured the decision-making process health professionals use. Of these, three themes described the goals and beliefs participants brought to their interactions with family members: Ensuring understanding, Addressing socioemotional needs, and Who decides. The theme Assessing understanding was prominent within the interaction, while the final theme was Contextual factors influencing decision making. No differences were found between mono and multilingual participants, and few differences between health professional groups. Conclusion: Health professionals find it difficult to assess whether a family member needs an interpreter and there is no consistency in how they make this decision, with some using heuristics and others a more systematic approach. Health professionals have beliefs about the purpose of an interpreter that potentially limit the voice of family members. Practice Implications: Health professionals need training to assist them in decisions about whether an interpreter is needed, including a decision tool and knowledge about policies.

When a common language is missing: Nurse–mother communication in the NICU. A qualitative study

“…Not surprisingly Parker, Lopera, Kalluri, and Kistin (2018) found in their study that the mothers felt more reassured and supported when the exchange was in their native language. If healthcare professionals are uncertain whether an interpreter is needed (Jones, Sheeran, Pines, & Saunders, 2019), this is usually a sign that they do need an interpreter. The purpose of interpreting is ideally to mediate a speaker's ideas to the listener as if they were expressed in the listener's own language (Nailon, 2006).…”

Communicating Reproductive Coercion in the Context of Domestic and Family Violence: Perspectives of Service Providers Supporting Migrant and Refugee Women

“…When asked, most health professionals note a range of practical barriers (i.e., challenges accessing services outside of business hours, perceived or actual costs, time consuming etc.). Health practitioners also find it difficult to assess whether an interpreter is needed (Jones et al, 2019), though participants in the current study perceived that the health practitioner's attitude to engaging an interpreter may be an additional barrier (i.e., "they just don't want to do it"). We suggest further research is needed to unpack attitudes held by the professionals themselves.…”

“…Thus, it seems that some police may also have a narrow view of communication and the role of interpreters. This view has been found in doctors, where the use of interpreters allowed the doctors to tell the patient what would happen, rather than allowing the patient to elicit information from the doctor (Jones et al, 2019). We argue that the two-way flow of information is vital to ensuring accuracy in reports and facilitating the understanding of the woman experiencing RCA.…”

The significance of communication and care in one’s mother tongue: Patients’ views

“…37 Still, nurses' positive linguistic attitudes tend to change when they experience problems in practice, and consequently practical courses on how to use professional interpreters in healthcare would be useful. 37 Jones et al 38 found that healthcare staff underutilize professional interpreters, even though researchers and policy-makers alike recommend using such services. Practical courses 39 or education and training 40 have been found to possibly improve healthcare staff's negative attitudes toward professional interpreter services.…”

“…37 Jones et al. 38 found that healthcare staff underutilize professional interpreters, even though researchers and policy-makers alike recommend using such services. Practical courses 39 or education and training 40 have been found to possibly improve healthcare staff’s negative attitudes toward professional interpreter services.…”