Language bank provides live telephonic interpretation for practitioner, patient

Herald Mail

May 30, 2013

An elderly woman heads into the emergency room with severe stomach pain. She hardly understand what’s happening, let alone how the doctors will fix it. All she knows is that it hurts, she’s alone and she doesn't speak English. As medical personnel come and go from the curtained examination area, she glances from one person to another, hoping to pick up a familiar phrase. 

But the woman has little more than a dozen words in her English vocabulary. And her husband, who is in the waiting room — the only family she has — is equally linguistically confused. Medical jargon often is difficult to understand. So imagine going to a doctor who doesn't speak your language.You’re sick and feeling vulnerable. You want your health problem to be remedied.But it becomes a game of charades, with gesturing and pointing. And the patient’s diagnosis becomes lost in translation.

For people who speak limited English, going to a medical facility can be so intimidating that many put off visits, often until they’re in critical condition. It’s the type of problem that Meritus Medical Center faces almost every day.

As a result, it has implemented a service to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse patient population. Find out how this language interpretation program is going to enhance patient care by clicking here.