eUpdate
February 2008
|
eUpdate |
| Vol. 5 No. 1 | February 2008 |
Hablamos Juntos eUpdate is a periodic electronic newsletter that focuses on current developments in improving patient-provider communication for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). Read about the latest language services advancements and activities of the Hablamos Juntos program, our grantees and beyond. |
| Articles in this Issue:
|
"How Do You Assure Your Interpreters' Skills?
|
Over 30 different language testing options – both public and private – are included, up from 12 in 2002. Included are highlights from Language Interpretation Services standards published by ASTM International, a voluntary, not for profit standards setting organization, in 2007. Interestingly, the push for these standards did not come from the health care industry, but rather ASTM International from engineering and science concerned with technical standard for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. Global economic competitiveness and rapid crease in business exports to new markets around the world is easier with better language capabilities. Far from being an unwelcome cost to doing business, investing in language skills is a fast growing strategy for growth in many business sectors. The report reviews language proficiency, its importance to health care quality and a growing interest in proficiency testing and verification of interpreter qualifications. Health care organizations, in general, understand command of both languages (the source language as well as the target language) are minimum requirements, but are unaware of other required interpreting skills (e.g. attention, analytical, memory, language transfer, note taking, etc.); and knowledge of the subject matter (e.g. medical terminology). Most still struggle to assess interpreters for minimum qualifications and matching speaking and listening skills to patient provider communications requirements. A paucity of validated testing options remains a major barrier in this area. Most testing resources available were developed ad-hoc modeling methods used for academia or business, or are proprietary products unavailable for public review and scrutiny. The report is organized by various approaches to language testing to increase awareness about the importance of language development history (e.g. native or heritage language learner). By promoting understanding of the relationship between language skills and medical interpreting, we hope to support efforts to link quality of care and patient safety to skilled language professional; interpreters (those who meet certain requirements) and provide tools to determine how less skilled bilinguals can augment overall communication strategies. Just as nurses and medical assistance use defined scopes of practice to augment over all medical practices, high skill interpreters can be supported with bilingual staff with more limited language skills. More needs to be done to achieve clarity around these boundaries, one reason why language proficiency testing is so important. At this hour, substantive national efforts are needed to produce reliable methods to gauge basic fluency and interpreter readiness in order to ensure quality of care and patient safety for LEP patients. As with English speaking patients, there is a role for family and friends to participate in the health care team, but until healthcare organizations are certain of the quality of communication across languages, caution and default to a higher standard is the most reasonable and safe approach. Language proficiency assessments of bilingual staff who interpret as well as standardized training programs for interpreters is the standard we should strive to achieve. The updated report holds promise of progress, but most testing options available are not uniform, and do not consistently measure the same competencies. In addition, investments in research to test theory in practice and practice with theory, finding the links a between well trained medical interpreter and patient health outcomes is still little more than a dream. If you received this newsletter directly, expect to receive notice when this report is available on our website. Please make sure your information is current. |
“Hospitals, Language and Culture Report” The Joint Commission calls for hospitals to establish a program to coordinate language and cultural services; adopt a system for collecting race, ethnicity and language data; and regularly train staff on how and when to access language services in its new report. Hospitals should implement formal processes language services by translating patient education resources and creating written policies that specifically prohibit the use of family members and children as interpreters in situations other than emergencies. In an analysis of 60 hospitals nationwide, Joint Commission researchers determined that linguistic and cultural support services vary widely among providers and that hospitals often lack the resources and processes necessary to optimize care for LEP patients. Click here for copy of report. “CalHospitalCompare” According to the Institute of Medicine tens of thousands of deaths are caused by preventable medical errors every year in US hospitals. Some hospitals provide better care than others. This site is designed for the California consumer, reporting rates of care quality, patient experience, and safety measures for over 200 hospitals. Information about quality, services, costs and coverage are shared. Find and compare hospitals near you by accessing the site in English or in Spanish .
Founded in 2005 by Oldways, the Latino Nutrition Coalition (LNC) is a multi-faceted alliance of industry, scientists, chefs, policy makers, and other leaders who are united in their goal to address and transform the current dietary trends in Latinos in the United States, thereby reducing the correlating deleterious health effects among this population. The LNC utilizes the support, expertise, and passion of its members to develop education and community outreach programs, to heighten public awareness of the need for Latino-focused public health, and establish culturally relevant nutrition tools, such as the supermarket shopping guide, Camino Mágico. “National Certification of Health Care Interpreters – National Forum” The National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) has launched an inclusive,national, consensus-driven certification process for healthcare interpreters, looking to standardize interpreter training and education. “Our committee on standards, training and certification has been working diligently on these complex issues for many years,” explained Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, NCIHC board member and co-chair of the committee. In prior years, the NCIHC developed and published the National Code of Ethics and National Standards of Practice for Interpreters in Health Care , as well as a host of working papers on various topics within the field of healthcare interpreting. This report highlights national views on certification for health care interpreters. Click here. “Language Access UCSF Study” Many California hospitals have recognized the value of providing linguistically appropriate care for their patients and are making strides in addressing the needs of their limited English proficient (LEP) patients. In late 2006 and early 2007, 30 leaders at 20 California hospitals were interviewed for their perspectives and thoughts on making health care available to every individual in a language he or she understands. All 20 hospitals selected for this study had implemented programs designed to facilitate communications between health care providers and LEP patients. Hospitals generally used a combination of telephonic and face-to-face interpreter services to meet their patients’ needs. Representatives from the selected hospitals spoke to the benefits and challenges of the various modes of language services. Respondents also addressed procedural issues, including adopting language access policies, collecting information about patient language needs, establishing language access programs and assessing the impacts of such programs. This issue brief is a step toward meeting mutual interest in sharing perspectives, challenges, models and best practices.
|
|
Spring 2008 Connecting Worlds’ Healthcare Interpreter Training This curriculum incorporates the California Standards for Healthcare Interpreters developed by the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA). The next session will be held March to April 2008. Languages offered include; Spanish-English, Cantonese-English, and Vietnamese-English. Applications are due February 19, 2008. To get more information about this training click here for an outreach flier and FAQ sheet. To access an application form click here. Continuing Education Courses The Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation has been training professional translators and interpreters for more than 35 years with a well respected Master’s Degree program. They recently started to offer continuing education courses for working with interpreters and translators. These courses are designed to refresh skills, develop subject are knowledge, and enhance professional performance. Register now for the following courses:
Courses currently in development:
|
|
Who We Are |
|
Hablamos Juntos II – Language Policy and Practice in Health Care funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to disseminate lessons learned from ten demonstration sites around the country and to set standards and create practical tools for developing useful health materials in languages other than English.
|
|
|
National Program Office |
|
Please contact Hablamos Juntos with questions or suggestions |
|
Hablamos Juntos UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education & Research 155 N. Fresno St., Suite 266 Fresno, CA 93701 |
|
To unsubscribe click here.
|
|