Communication is vital when dealing with any patient. It is especially important when communicating with an limited English proficient patient.
- My discourse community is Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital.
- I have been shadowing in the emergency room for two years.
- The picture to the left shows the entrance to the emergency room.
- Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital is located in rural South West Virginia.
- It is relatively small and does not encounter LEP patients often.
- When encountering LEP patients, Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital has limited resources to deal with LEP patients.
Limited Resources
- In Southwest Virginia, there are very limited
resources to deal with a language barrier. Since it is rare to see an LEP
patient, they do not have all the equipment necessary to deal with one. I
surveyed some of the medical professionals in South West Virginia. Out of the
medical professionals I surveyed, 75% said their only resource to communicate
is a machine.
- The machine used at Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital is sometimes faulty and hard to use. A personal translator would not be used often in South West Virginia; however, it would allow smoother and faster communication.
Increased Accidents
- When dealing with a patient and there is a language barrier present, it is more likely for accidents to occur. Out of the medical professionals I surveyed, 100% of them stated accidents are more likely to occur if there is a language barrier present. The inability to communicate allows more room for accidents to occur.
- LEP patients may experience a range of accidental events including medication error, misdiagnosis, and the inability to ensure they understand what they have given consent for.
- LEP patients are more likely to experience
serious accidents that may cause physical harm while at a hospital compared to
patients who are proficient in English.
Decreased Trust
- When treating a patient who is not proficient in
English, it is much harder to gain their trust. The inability to communicate makes
it harder to allow a bonding experience in which trust is given. Out of the
medical professionals I surveyed, 75% agreed it is harder to gain the patients
trust if a language barrier is present.
- Without trust between the patient and the
medical professionals, it is harder on the patient. It may make their
experience less informative and more difficult.
- Trust may be hard to gain because of a language barrier, but once it is won, it makes treatment easier for the patient and medical professional. Not only does trust form a bond, but it also leads to safer care.
Conclusion
Overall, an interpreter in a hospital leads to more effective and safer patient care. Although it would only be used a couple times a month in South West Virginia, it would make communication smoother when caring for an LEP patient. In emergency situations an interpret would be ideal. The increase of accidents and decrease of trust also occurs when caring for an LEP patient. The inability to communicate efficiently leaves room for accidents to be made. Things like reactions to medications and excessive tests occur when caring for an LEP patient. Trust plays a major role in how patients respond to treatment. It is harder to gain an LEP patients trust because there is not enough communication to form a bond. I believe accidents could be minimized and trust could be increased if there was an interpreter in every hospital