|
 Reducing
Language Barriers
 Providers who
serve families with limited or no ability to speak or understand
English can help to improve both communication and the quality
of health care delivery by adopting the following practices:
Language
Preferences
- Determine
each family’s language preferences and record the information
in the child’s medical record
- Create a
special field for language preference in the medical record
- Color code
charts according to languages preferred
Language
Tools and Services
- Make use
of the “I Speak” flashcard. This card contains
a message, written in 38 languages, that enables individuals
to identify the language they use to read or speak. (e.g.,
Margue esta casilla si lee o habla español.)
- Contract
with and use interpretive language services when needed
- Arrange
for easy access to telephonic interpreters
- Install
high quality speakerphones for use with telephonic interpretation
services
Translated
Materials
- Prominently
display translated notices of the language services available
- Use translated
medical forms whenever possible (e.g.,
consent forms, signature forms)
- Provide
families with health education materials translated into their
preferred language
Training
- Offer language
training opportunities for administrative staff and health
professionals
- Train all
staff and professionals on the use of interpretation services
and equipment
- Train front
desk staff to assist families with making appointments and
filling out forms (e.g., registration,
medical history, consent)
- Learn and
use some basic vocabulary and phrases spoken in the community
you serve
| Resource
for HealthCheck Providers: Translated Materials |
Language
Identification Flashcard (PDF)
The U.S. Department of Justice provides access to the “I Speak” flashcard.
Interpretive
Services Flyer
Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation offers an interpretive services flyer
(written in 21 languages) with the message “Attention. If you do not
speak English, or if you are deaf, hard of hearing, or sight impaired, you
can have interpretive and translation services provided at no charge. Please
ask for assistance.”
University
of Michigan Health System, Interpreter Services
Interpreter Services provides links to commonly used patient documents and
health education materials translated in Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese,
Korean, Russian, and Spanish.
Multilingual
Health Information Publications
Multicultural Health Communication Service, New South Wales, Australia, offers
more than 400 publications in 47 languages on topics such as infant health,
infant and child feeding, early childhood, injury prevention, and parenting.
Health
Education Materials
Healthy Roads Media offers free audio, print, and multimedia health education
materials in a number of languages. |
Reference
1 U.S.
Census Bureau. October 2003. English Use and English-Speaking
Ability: 2000 (Census 2000 Brief).
Source
Addressing Language Access Issues in Your Practice: A Toolkit for Physicians
and Their Staff Members, California Academy of Family Physicians, San Francisco,
CA, 2005
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