Communication through in-person interpreters: a qualitative study of home care providers' and social workers' views
Aims and objectives To describe the experiences of home care providers and social workers in communication, via in‐person interpreters, with patients who do not share a common language, and to offer suggestions for practice based on this description. Background The use of interpreters is essential f...
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Published in | Journal of clinical nursing Vol. 22; no. 1-2; pp. 159 - 167 |
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Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.01.2013
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Aims and objectives
To describe the experiences of home care providers and social workers in communication, via in‐person interpreters, with patients who do not share a common language, and to offer suggestions for practice based on this description.
Background
The use of interpreters is essential for successful communication to provide equal access to health care for patients not sharing a common language with care providers. Successful bilingual communication is probably even more complex within the home care services with its focus on medical treatment, care and daily support in relation to the more exclusive focus on medical treatment within hospital care.
Design
An explorative, qualitative, descriptive study.
Methods
Data were collected in seven focus group interviews. A total of 27 persons, working as registered nurses, assistant nurses and social workers in municipal home care, participated. The analysis was inspired by inductive content analysis.
Results
The results express a traditional view on interpretation where the in‐person interpreter is supposed to act to a greater or lesser extent as an objective and neutral conduit or communicator of what is said. The interpreter is also expected to observe when medical terms and other concepts need to be explained, which thus exceeds the basic role as a communicator of what was said.
Conclusions
This study emphasises the need to view the interpreter as an active and explicit party in a three‐way communication.
Relevance to clinical practice
Viewing the interpreter as an active and explicit party in a three‐way communication and as an essential part of the care team might reduce the possible threat to patient confidentiality, and could contribute to solve the problem of interpreting the patient's non‐verbal signs. |
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Bibliography: | ark:/67375/WNG-75SGJ1ZP-S istex:68FFA7D8053229B345EF8680FEF35B8635CA0286 ArticleID:JOCN4312 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1 |
ISSN: | 0962-1067 1365-2702 1365-2702 |
DOI: | 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2012.04312.x |