The use of interpreter services and its barriers faced by hospital staff when accessing interpreters for patients with low English proficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Autor: Tang D; Diversity Programs and Strategy Hub, Population Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; Australian Institute of Health Service Management, School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia., Jawad D; Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; Health Promotion Unit, Population Health Research & Evaluation Hub, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in the Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood - Translate, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia., Dragoje V; Sydney Health Care Interpreter Service, Population Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; Australian Institute of Translators and Interpreters (AUSIT), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia., Wen LM; Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; Health Promotion Unit, Population Health Research & Evaluation Hub, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in the Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood - Translate, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; Sydney Institute for Women, Children and Their Families, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia., Taki S; Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; Health Promotion Unit, Population Health Research & Evaluation Hub, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in the Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood - Translate, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.; Sydney Institute for Women, Children and Their Families, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals [Health Promot J Austr] 2024 Oct; Vol. 35 (4), pp. 1184-1193. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Feb 25.
DOI: 10.1002/hpja.850
Abstrakt: Issue Addressed: Patients with low English proficiency (LEP) often require interpreter services in health care, however, their usage remains low. This study aimed to explore the barriers to accessing interpreter services and suggests ways services can be improved in hospitals.
Methods: We conducted focus groups with clinicians and a retrospective audit of patient records. The clinicians were recruited from the inpatient wards and Emergency Department in a Sydney hospital, August 2022. The focus group discussion explored clinicians' experiences using an interpreter, and ways to improve access to the service. It was recorded, transcribed and coded thematically using Braun and Clarke's (2006) 6-step framework. The patient record data were linked with the interpreter service booking data to determine whether patients flagged as requiring an interpreter on admission were provided with the service.
Results: Two focus groups were conducted with clinicians (N = 9 in total). Long wait times for telephone interpreters, an inflexible booking system, and low availability of in-person interpreters were identified as the barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted in-person service provision.
Conclusion: Some systemic barriers including an inflexible booking process and long wait times for immediate interpreter services were identified. The low use of interpreter services is attributed to the difficulties accessing the service and poor documentation in patient records. SO WHAT?: Greater availability of in-person interpreter services, an upgraded booking system, and effective implementation the NSW Health Standard Procedures for Working with Health Care Interpreters will address some of these barriers.
(© 2024 The Authors. Health Promotion Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Health Promotion Association.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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