Language Barriers in Practice

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Language Barriers in Practice Although extensive research and investment have led to the transformation of healthcare, the ultimate goal is far from being accomplished. Healthcare delivery is still influenced by a range of factors that affect healthcare quality. These factors range from simple to complex situations that call for the intervention of major healthcare agencies. They include sociodemographic variables, availability of resources, the competence of the providers, patient and family co-operation, language barrier, and provider motivation, among many others (Giger & Haddad, 2020). The failure to tackle the problems that affect healthcare quality may have devastating health consequences. This discussion explores language barriers in nursing practice and their impact on patient safety and the settings and strategies to address this issue. The legal and ethical issues associated with language barriers will also be studied.

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Definition of the Problem Language barriers refer to factors that impede communication between two people speaking different languages. Language is an essential aspect of communication. It creates a medium in which the speaker and the listener can convey their needs and interests to one another. People usually communicate in the language they understand most. In healthcare settings, language plays a vital role in passing information from the care providers to their colleagues, patients, and families (Al Shamsi, Almutairi, Al Mashrafi & Al Kalbani, 2020). The English language is one of the commonly used languages in healthcare settings. Unfortunately, not all parties understand the English languages or other mainstream languages used by clinicians. Therefore, the language barrier is likely to be experienced in situations where nurses are dealing with patients who do not speak English as their first language (Jaeger, Pellaud, Laville & Klauser, 2019). Communication may also be negatively impacted when illnesses cause people, who understand mainstream languages, to switch to their local languages during treatment.

The Rationale for Selecting the Problem Language barriers were selected for investigation since it is one of the prevalent factors that affect healthcare delivery in hospitals. Language barriers can also act as a recipe for other devastating outcomes such as discrimination and limited access to care, among others. Further, although language barriers can be tackled with simple initiatives, it has remained a significant hindrance to healthcare delivery.

Impact of Language Barriers on Patient Safety Language barriers have detrimental consequences on the quality and safety of patient care. Nurses, for instance, find it hard to pass medical instructions to patients if they cannot

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communicate in the same language. Consequently, the patients’ compliance with treatment is negatively affected since they do not understand even the simple dose instructions. Language barriers also reduce the patients’ and nurses’ level of satisfaction with care (Al Shamsi, Almutairi, Al Mashrafi & Al Kalbani, 2020). In situations where the patient cannot understand English, nurses find it almost impossible to conduct patient education. Education is a fundamental element of patient care since it helps to enlighten patients on the best ways to tackle diseases and promote health. However, when education becomes a daunting task, patients cannot be informed of the most efficacious strategies to address their health issues (Al Shamsi, Almutairi, Al Mashrafi & Al Kalbani, 2020). Language barriers can also contribute to medication errors, inaccurate assessment, poor diagnosis, and wrong treatment plans. For instance, in some languages, pain and distress are described using terms that may confuse English speaking nurses. Pain may, thus, be rated inaccurately, leading to over- or undermedication. Nurses may also avoid interactions with patients who do not understand the English language, further putting the patients at aggravated risk of complications.

Settings where Language Barriers are Experienced Language barriers are likely to occur in all healthcare settings including hospitals and emergency care departments. Nurses in the ED are, however, more likely to experience language barriers than other departments since they act as the first line of contact with almost all people seeking healthcare services (Crepaz, Becker & Wacker, 2020). Language barriers can also be experienced in the wards. However, most healthcare teams incorporate individuals who understand the culture and local language of the patient for interpretation purposes.

Strategy to Address the Problems

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Several tactics have been proposed as potential solutions to language barriers. One of these tactics is the use of professional interpreters. The interpreters are professionally trained medical personnel with a deeper understanding of the culture and language of the patient as well as medical terminologies. The interpreters can convey medical instructions to patients in a clear manner. Another strategy is the use of In-demand Interpreting systems (Health Enterprise Partners, 2019). These are applications that help to improve communication between providers and patients. The In-Demand Interpreting systems provide healthcare professionals and patients with immediate access to video remote interpreters in over 20 languages. These systems are beneficial since they enable clinicians to provide quality care even to people with hearing disabilities (Health Enterprise Partners, 2019).

Legal and Ethical Concerns of Language Barriers Language barriers have the potential to trigger serious legal and ethical issues. For instance, care professionals are ethically and legally required to inform patients of their medical conditions and the proposed treatment plans in a language they can understand to get informed consent (Forrow & Kontrimas, 2017). In the case of language barriers, patients cannot provide informed consent.

Patients may take legal actions against the clinician if they are provided with the treatment they never consented to due to language barriers (Forrow & Kontrimas, 2017). Hospitals should therefore use legally recognized interpreters to avert such eventualities.

Conclusion Language barriers are significant contributors to poor healthcare outcomes as well as low quality and safety of care. Language barriers can be experienced in all healthcare settings. Immigrant populations that are not English as first language speakers have a higher likelihood of

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experiencing a language barrier than other populations. The use of interpreters is a reliable initiative for addressing language barriers.

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References Al Shamsi, H., Almutairi, A. G., Al Mashrafi, S., & Al Kalbani, T. (2020). Implications of Language Barriers for Healthcare: A Systematic Review. Oman Medical Journal, 35(2), e122. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.40 Crepaz, K., Becker, U., & Wacker, E. (2020). Health in Diversity – Diversity in Health: (Forced) Migration, Social Diversification, and Health in a Changing World. Springer Nature, Forrow, L., & Kontrimas, J. C. (2017). Language Barriers, Informed Consent, and Effective Caregiving. Journal of general internal medicine, 32(8), 855–857. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-017-4068-0 Giger, J. N., & Haddad, L. (2020). Transcultural Nursing-E-Book: Assessment and Intervention.

Elsevier Health Sciences.

Health Enterprise Partners. (2019). InDemand Interpreting Acquired by Stratus Video. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/indemand-interpreting-acquired-by-stratusvideo-300854569.html Jaeger, F. N., Pellaud, N., Laville, B., & Klauser, P. (2019). The migration-related language barrier and professional interpreter use in primary health care in Switzerland. BMC health services research, 19(1), 429. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4164-4