Staff, patients prefer ED-based interpreters
Telephonic services offer vital support
Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, has had interpretation services available for patients — both telephonic and live interpreters — for several years.
It wasn’t until six months ago, however, that the ED was given its own, dedicated interpreters, and that change has made a world of difference, the ED staff claim. The ED now has two full-time Spanish interpreters on staff who are available on weekday and weekend afternoons and evenings to meet the growing needs of Latino families and patients.
The interpreters focus on communications in the waiting room, the triage area, exam rooms, and assist with discharge education.
“We could always use the hospital interpreters, but when someone comes in the ED, they want to know right then what’s wrong with their child,” explains Joyce Campbell, RN, MS, service director in the ED.
“In the old days, we’d have to wait for an interpreter to come down, which was not good enough. On a hospital floor, they have a little longer stay and more time to wait for an interpreter to get there,” she says.
Campbell did not have that difficult a task selling the idea to administration. “Close to 10% of our patients are Spanish-speaking, and we have 70,000 visits a year,” she notes. “When I told administration what we wanted them to do, they strongly agreed it was a good idea.”
The service has proven invaluable. Jocelyn Amaya, one of the two ED Spanish interpreters, recalls a head trauma case in which all the physicians knew about the victim was his name.
“The Mom spoke no English at all,” she recalls. “We helped the doctor take a history and find out what happened.”
Being bilingual not enough
When seeking the new interpreters, the ED knew they needed more than just Spanish-speaking individuals. In fact, the hospital’s language services department prepared an exam for applicants.
“They couldn’t just know the language, but needed to be able to translate some medical language as well,” Campbell notes. This included, for example, the basic parts of the body and common medications. “If the parents say the child has pain in his left hand or abdominal discomfort, they have to be able to interpret those things,” she says.
You also had to have at least a year’s experience interpreting for other health care providers, adds Amaya, who notes that how to interpret the name of common illnesses also is part of the test.
“We also looked for people who were motivated and interested in this type of work,” Campbell says. “They constantly go around the unit to seek out people who need them. The families have been very happy with the service.”
High demand for services
As the interpreters are needed in all areas of the ED, they have pagers and cell phones so physicians and nurses can page them, Amaya notes.
“Usually we are used on a first-come, first-served basis, but it depends on the urgency of the call,” she explains. “Let’s say I’m in triage and get called for a trauma; I have to leave triage to go to trauma.”
In such a case, because the interpretation services still are needed in triage, the telephonic services would come into play.
The services are provided by Language Learning Enterprises in Washington, DC, and the cost can range from just under $2 a minute to about $2.50 a minute. It is an important backup system, but patients and staff prefer a “live” person.
“There are times when the phone takes a bit longer, because there are certain areas in the ED where confidentiality considerations make it impractical to use a speaker phone, so you pass the phone back and forth between the doctor and the patient, but when there is no interpreter at all [in the mornings, for example], you have to use the phone — even in trauma,” Amaya says.
Being there in person is more than just a timesaver, she says. “I can read facial expressions and know right away if there’s something missing or the patient does not understand, and ask the doctor or nurse to clarify,” Amaya explains.
“Plus, sometimes people are wandering around and if you see them, you can ask them if they need something, or if you can take them somewhere,” she points out.
Families are much happier with a person, notes Campbell. “I’m very glad we have the telephone; it’s definitely worthwhile. But when real people are there, they can see the look on the patients’ faces, touch their hand, look into their eyes,” she continues.
“They can be much more supportive for the families, who know they have someone there who understands.” The staff members have been very happy with the service as well, Campbell says.
“It makes it so much easier for them to feel they can communicate with and support the families,” she adds. “Physicians and nurses just find it much easier to care for these people.”
Sources/Resources
For more information on interpretation services in the ED, contact:
- Jocelyn Amaya, ED Spanish Interpreter, Children’s National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20010, Phone: (202) 884-5000. E-mail: [email protected].
- Joyce Campbell, RN, MS, ED Service Director, Children’s National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20010, Phone: (202) 884-5000. E-mail: [email protected].
The exam used at Children’s Hospital is a compilation of information from several sources. For more information on the exam, contact:
- Brenda Sheperd-Vernon, Director of Social Work, Child Life, Language Services and Pastoral Care. Phone: (202) 884-5214.
For more on telephonic interpretive services, contact:
- Language Learning Enterprises, 1627 K St. N.W., Suite 610, Washington, DC 20006. Phone: (888) 464-8553.
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