Professional Interpreter Services and the Impact on Hospital Care Outcomes: An Integrative Review of Literature

Abstract

Migration patterns have rapidly changed in Australia and elsewhere, which have contributed to increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse societies. This requires healthcare sectors to provide professional interpreter services for patients with a language barrier to eliminate healthcare disparities. This integrative review aimed to investigate the impact of professional interpreter services on hospital care outcomes and the associated cost of service provision. A systematic search of five databases was conducted for peer-reviewed articles from January 1996 to December 2020. Data were extracted for the hospital setting, intervention, population, study design, outcomes and key findings. Following the PRISMA guidelines, full-text screening identified 37 articles that were analysed and included. Communication quality, hospital care outcomes and hospital costs were the three main themes identified. Closing the language gap should be a primary consideration to prevent adverse events that affect patient safety and the standard of care in hospitals. The findings of this review indicate the provision of professional interpreter services can enhance hospital care for linguistically diverse patients by improving patient–provider communication. To gain insight into the changing patterns on the outcomes of medical care, further research requires efforts by the hospital administrative system to document complete records of service usage.

Dementia care for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds: Qualitative secondary analysis of the Aged Care Australian Royal Commission data

“…We identified that this incorrect assumption resulted in missed opportunities for care when care workers failed to use bi‐cultural communication support tools leading to misrecognition of clinical signs and symptoms, and substandard care. A recent literature review demonstrated that hospitals providing interpreter services for linguistically diverse people showed improved quality of communication and care 28 . Our findings also show that access to a care workforce or volunteers with the capacity to communicate in different languages can mean delivering more appropriate and high‐quality care.…”

“…A recent literature review demonstrated that hospitals providing interpreter services for linguistically diverse people showed improved quality of communication and care. 28 Our findings also show that access to a care workforce or volunteers with the capacity to communicate in different languages can mean delivering more appropriate and high-quality care. However, further research is needed to explore the value of interpreter services and resources to support staff to engage in bilingual communication in the RAC setting.…”

Use of Professional Interpreters for Patients With Limited English Proficiency Undergoing Surgery

“…This is especially concerning given that, as of 2021, 22% of the US population spoke a language other than English at home . Access to professional interpreters has been shown to increase surgical patients’ understanding of the indications and risks of their operation and discharge medication . Little is known, however, about factors within this vulnerable population that may affect which patients ultimately receive adequate access to perioperative interpretation.…”

Improving pain communication between limited English‐speaking Hmong patients, medical interpreters, and health care providers in primary care: A pilot study

“…Studies have shown that LEP patients have better pain control, more timely pain treatment, and higher satisfaction with healthcare providers when they have access to an interpreter compared to those who do not (Kwan et al, 2023). Despite the benefits of having an interpreter during pain communication encounters, the quality of medical interpretation may vary (Lor et al, 2016; Shippee et al, 2012), thus affecting provider and LEP patients' MU of pain information, particularly the Hmong patients.…”