Tips for insuring language access to patients of diverse language backgrounds

Tip #1: Know your service area and patient population

Conduct a demographics analysis of both the languages spoken within your service area (check future predictions as well!) and the preferred languages of the patients the organization has seen over the past two years. If you haven't begun to do so, make sure you keep records of the patient's first language and all requests for interpreters.

Tip #2: Diversify your provider and patient-contact staff

CLAS suggests that efforts be made to make the staff population at all levels of the organization reflect the ethnic, racial and language backgrounds of the patients you serve. Try to hire more bilingual providers and staff.

Tip #3 Build your on-site interpreter services

Start by assuring that professional medical interpreters are available 24 hours per day for at least the three to five most populous groups. Expand these services yearly. Make sure that you contract with a reputable medical interpreter service (phone or in person interpreters) in advance for languages for which you do not provide on site interpreters.

Tip #4: Use professionally trained medical interpreters

You are not in compliance with the guidelines of any of the government agencies discussed above if you allow the patient's family members or friends or untrained staff to serve as interpreters. Untrained interpreters also increase medical risk by greatly increasing the probability of misinformation regarding the patient's medical history, description of the complaint, and understanding of the treatment plan.

Tip #5: Inform the patient of the right to an interpreter

Patients should be informed both orally and in writing at all points of contact. of their right to language assistance at no cost. Signs should be posted to that effect and records should be kept of verbal information about the patient's right to an interpreter.

Tip #6: Posted signs in the languages of populations in the service area

Signs giving directions to locations, department names, procedures, and other pertinent patient information should be posted throughout the service area. Pictorial signs should also be posted for those patients who cannot read.

Tip #7: Translate all important patient informational instructions, pamphlets and brochures into the languages of all patient populations

Make sure that these are prepared by professional translators and test their accuracy by getting another native speaker of that language to translate the document back into English. Start with the three to five most populous language and expand this service yearly.

Tip#8: Train providers and contact personnel in bridging language barriers

This training should not only include how to use interpreters effectively, but also how to simplify one's own speech to make it more comprehensible to persons whose native language isn't English. It is also important to also train staff to pay attention to body language and to understand heavily accented English.

Tip 9: Include community organizations in language access planning

Work closely with organizations representing different linguistic populations regarding the types of language assistance which will improve the access and satisfaction of their communities. They may be able to assist in finding qualified interpreters and translators as well as keeping abreast of community needs.

Tip 10: Track patient response to language access efforts

Make sure patients are asked whether or not they were told of their rights to an interpreter and whether there was adequate signage or patient information given in their own languages. Measure improvement of patient satisfaction in terms of being served in their preferred language.