Perspectives of Nurses on Patients With Limited English Proficiency and Their Call Light Use

Abstract

Patients use call light systems to initiate communication with their health care team. Little is known how this process is affected when language barriers exist between an English-speaking nurse and a patient with limited English proficiency (LEP). The aims of this study are to describe (a) the perceptions of nurses regarding their communication with patients with LEP, (b) how call lights affect their communication with patients with LEP, and (c) the perceptions of nurses on the impact of advancement in call light technology on patients with LEP. Using focus groups, nurses were asked about their interactions with patients with LEP. The following themes emerged: barriers to communication, formal tools for communication, gestures and charades, reliance on family, creating a better call light system, and acceptability of Eloquence™. This results show that call lights affect the interaction of nurses with patients with LEP and complex issues arise in the subsequent communication that is initiated by the call light.

Registered Nurse and Nursing Assistant Perceptions of Limited English-Proficient Patient-Clinician Communication

“…Similar to Galinato and colleagues' findings (7), informants reported use of ad hoc communication aids in lieu of interpreter services. Ad hoc resources are not supported by hospital policies and generate concern since reliance on nonprofessional and ineffective communication methods are associated with higher communication error rates, resulting in patient harm (5).…”

“…Common LEP patient-clinician communication resources available include interpreters, communication boards, software programs on computer tablets, call lights, and audio or visual aids (6, 7). Patient-clinician communication in hospitals often begins with call light devices and patients report a reliance on call lights to initiate care (7-9).…”

“…Patient-clinician communication in hospitals often begins with call light devices and patients report a reliance on call lights to initiate care (7-9). For LEP patients, current call light systems pose significant communication barriers, affecting communication with healthcare personnel and care delivery (7, 8). Despite advancements in health communication resources (e.g., telehealth; webcams; texting; smart devices), the bedside call lights has remained relatively unchanged.…”

Conduits to care: call lights and patients’ perceptions of communication

“… 9 In addition, nurses’ perceptions regarding call light communication have recently been investigated. 4 , 10 The patients’ perceptions and perspectives regarding their call light use and their communication with their nurses and the effect of these two factors on their health care are missing in the literature.…”

Strategies to Build Authorship Competence Among PhD Students

“…This may be an integrative review setting forth the state of the science in their field (Lee, Pressler, & Titler, 2015), the conceptual model for their dissertation (Schoville & Titler, 2015), or a pilot study. Thus, by the end of Year 2, students will have two published papers, one as co-author and one as first author (Galinato, Montie, Shuman, Patak, & Titler, 2016;Shuman et al, 2016).…”