Statistics have proven that language plays a major role in misdiagnosis or poor treatment in hospitals or delays in access to preventive care. Patients with limited English proficiency are almost twice as likely to suffer adverse events in United States hospitals resulting in harm or even death. There is a rising number of people that fit into this category and thus there is a need for a nationally recognized process for certifying medical interpreters, a requirement that only certified medical interpreters can be hired by healthcare organizations and national funding to help hospitals pay for these measures. In the meantime, there is a nationally available procedure to ensure that medical interpreters are adequately prepared for the field and needs of the patients. Titled the Certified Medical Interpreter program, it does just as the name suggests and helps to ensure the qualifications of these interpreters. However the lack of funding and reimbursement to hospitals that use such services continues to contribute to trends of healthcare disparities in lower income communities where such services are needed the most.
I agree with the position of the author and see this as a serious problem. Such little things could get lost in translation and the interpreters need to have the proper experience in order to best help communication between patients and doctors. However I do see the difficulty in getting funding for such programs and people may argue that patients with limited English proficiency should focus on improving their English instead of the government catering to them. Regardless, it is an issue that will continue to affect the medical field and the government will have to address the problem in order to avoid deaths due to miscommunication.
The article can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louis-provenzano/language-access-and-the-p_b_587920.html
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