Healthcare environments can be scary for service users, especially when they can’t communicate readily, and for clinical providers in today’s multicultural multilingual context, it’s tough to ensure full communication. Barriers to effective appointments can seem impossibly high.
Poor communication can mean missed or misunderstood symptoms, and poor diagnosis, with much appointment time consumed simply trying to understand each other instead of providing essential healthcare and potentially saving lives. It’s also frustrating for the healthcare professional and potentially damaging for the Trust.
It isn’t just you
Poor communication is just as frustrating for the patient, lost confidence increasing the likelihood of future appointment Did Not Attend that wastes valuable professional’s time, and leaves expensive diagnostic kit standing idle. Critically, the patient outcome will almost certainly be poorer.
While telephone interpreting helps, it’s an unfriendly and off-putting format for both parties. More significantly, both interpreter and clinician are deprived of visual cues from the patient. Are they holding something back? Are they under duress from family? Are they too scared or embarrassed to be honest? Video interpreting’s limited visual interaction can help to spark better dialogue, but anyone who’s experienced remote meetings will know just how limited the format is. Those limitations are intensified in inherently-stressful care environments.
Let Lifeline help
There’s a common misconception that the far more effective face-to-face (F2F) interpreting is too expensive, and that the only way to make healthcare provision for these groups affordable is to use remote systems. However, that overlooks the potential cost – financially, and to patient wellbeing – of DNAs and missed diagnoses.
The best option is generally a blend of remote and F2F, minimising cost while optimising communication. Our integrated provision of both formats helps you tailor cost-effective solutions, with continuity of interpreter helping ensure the best patient outcome.
That’s supported by patient-facing literature translation, including template formats for ready-use patient forms. Certified translation is offered for legal or administrative use, while multilingual transcription of interpreted elements provides searchable text records that can also be translated.
Lifeline has been delivering joined-up confidential mother-tongue language support to private and NHS healthcare for over 30 years, covering all UK community languages. Our global network of selected accredited professional linguists includes specialist clinical, medical, dental and mental health support expertise, covering most of the UK.
We really can help:
T 0800 783 4678
info@3ls.uk
https://www.3ls.uk