Treating LEP Patients Requires More than Medical Professionals

In Communities where Residents have Limited English Skills Trained Professional Interpreters Are Needed to Facilitate Dialog Between Patient and Practitioner

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that people who are receiving medical care from individuals who do not speak their language are often risking improper treatment. No matter how skilled the medical professional providing services, if there is a language barrier the information provided might not be clearly understood.

The government realizes this problem, lawyers realize the problem, and sooner or later all medical facilities will come to the realization that in ethnically diverse communities where a high percentage of the population has limited English proficiency, trained interpreters are needed in order to adequately administer medical services.

In the United States, more than 55 million people speak a language other than English at home and more than 24 million residents may be considered limited English proficient, or LEP, according to Steve Hitov, managing attorney of the National Health Law Program’s Washington, D.C., office.

As a result of a 2007 survey of 260 members of the National Association of Community Health Centers, we now know that general internists in these centers treat LEP patients frequently. In fact, more than half of those surveyed said they treat LEP patients once a day or a few times a week, according to Hitov, who moderated a June briefing on the importance of language services for quality health care.

For some community centers the language barriers would seem overwhelming. For instance, in the Washington DC area over 80% of the patients are LEP. Although for most of these patients, Spanish is the primary language, more than half speak any one of 70 other languages.

How are community health care centers coping with increasing language challenges? First of all, they are hiring more bilingual staff members and are hiring skilled professionals with language skills that serve the majority of their patients. Secondly, they are using telephonic interpreting and evaluation, which provides interpreter services via speakerphones in the exam rooms. Thirdly, they evaluate how patients process the information provided and measure the degree to which it is understood.

So once a community health center has interpretation services and bilingual professionals on staff are there other language problems that can interfere with quality care? Yes, some of the most difficult problems stem from family members who insist on serving as interpreters and may insert their own views. Another is when a patient needs to be referred to a specialist who does not offer trained interpreters.

Today, providing proper medical care requires more than trained medical professionals. It now requires trained language professionals. If you manage or work in a medical facility in the Detroit area that serves LEP patients, you can rely on Bromberg & Associates Translation Agency to provide expert on-site and telephonic interpreting services for your patients’ needs and conduct training on healthcare interpreting ethics and techniques for your bilingual staff.