Use of Communication Technologies to Cost-Effectively Increase the Availability of Interpretation Services in Healthcare Settings
Use of Communication Technologies to Cost-Effectively Increase the Availability of Interpretation Services in Healthcare Settings
复制标题
DOI：
10.1089/tmj.2009.0186
复制
发表时间：
2010-07-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Snowden, Lonnie
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Masland, Mary C.;Lou, Christine;Snowden, Lonnie
由于英语水平有限（LEP）导致的患者与医疗服务提供者沟通不畅，导致患者使用预防性护理的减少、误诊、检测增加、患者依从性差以及住院和急诊室入院人数增加，从而使医疗服务提供者和支付者付出代价。尽管联邦和州法律要求提供语言服务，但双语医疗保健专业人员的稀缺和高昂的口译费用阻碍了语言服务的全面实施。我们回顾了最近发表的文献和未发表的数据，记录使用电话和视频解释方法，以改善与LEP人的医疗保健沟通。例如，加州的九家公立医院及其相关社区诊所、精神病机构、专业护理机构和公共卫生部门的合作机构利用互联网协议视频/语音呼叫中心技术实施了共享视频口译服务，该技术自动将15种语言的口译请求路由到30名全职口译员和4名训练有素的双语工作人员。对于寻求启动或扩大其语文服务的组织来说，因特网提供了获得翻译文件、有希望的做法、逐步指南、规划工具和研究简报的途径。这些最新的技术进步提供语言服务，以响应联邦和州的任务，并提高访问和护理质量的LEP人比人们普遍认为的更可行。增加政府和基金会的支持，以及提供者组织之间的合作可以促进这些努力。
Poor patient-provider communication due to limited English proficiency (LEP) costs healthcare providers and payers through lower patient use of preventive care, misdiagnosis, increased testing, poor patient compliance, and increased hospital and emergency room admissions. Scarcity of bilingual healthcare professionals and prohibitive interpretation costs hinder full implementation of language service despite federal and state laws requiring their provision. We review recent published literature and unpublished data documenting the use of telephonic and video interpretation methodologies to improve healthcare communication with LEP persons. For example, a cooperative of nine California public hospitals and their associated community clinics, psychiatric facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and public health departments have implemented shared video interpretation services with video/voice-over Internet Protocol call center technology that automatically routes requests for interpretation in 15 languages to a pool of 30 full-time interpreters and 4 trained bilingual staff. For organizations seeking to initiate or expand their language services, the Internet provides access to translated documents, promising practices, step-by-step guides, planning tools, and research briefs. Such recent technological advances make provision of language services-to respond to federal and state mandates and improve access and quality of care to LEP persons-more feasible than is widely believed. Increased government and foundation support, and collaboration among provider organizations themselves can catalyze these efforts.