2. Choose interpreta-
tion services carefully
Even if you have the luxury of
an interpreter on site, chances
are you will need to choose a
video or telephone service for
languages not spoken by your
interpreter. Choose carefully.
The federal government does
not require interpreters to be
licensed or certified, but some
states do and it's always a good
idea. Although they may be
nominally more expensive,
trained interpreters can make a
visit flow more smoothly and
quickly, and save you money in
the long run.
The research isn't conclusive on whether telephone or video inter-
pretation is superior,
8
but my anecdotal experience is that both
patients and caregivers prefer video to phone interpretation.
A recent 208-patient survey at a children's hospital showed that
Spanish-speaking parents supplied with video interpretation were
almost 30% more likely to be able to name their child's diagnosis than
were parents supplied with telephone interpretation only. Importantly,
those same parents were 19% more likely to comply with post-
encounter instructions than the telephone group.
9
In a study at another pediatric hospital, Spanish-speaking moms actual-
ly rated video interpretation on an iPad more highly than certified
Spanish-speaking physicians or certified Spanish-speaking interpreters.
10
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 3
WORDS COUNT Translating surgical paperwork into the language
spoken by a large segment of your patient population keeps them
better informed of the care they receive.
Mountain
Empire
Surgery
Center
