Information for Health Care Providers

This page has links to information for health care providers working with interpreters and providing care for patients who are Deaf, DeafBlind or Hard of Hearing.

The Joint Commision: Hospital, Langauges, and Culture

This is an initiative designed to improve patient care through better understanding of medical providers in how to communicate with people from a diversity of cultural backgrounds and who use a variety of languages. You can also download a recent update from the Hospitals, Languages, and Culture project by clicking here.

Free DVD: Qualified Interpreting for Quality Health Care:  A Training Video for Clinical Staff on How to Work with Interpreters

Produced by the Health Care Interpreter Network and Kaiser Permanente, in conjunction with Casa Madre Films. You can preview the video on the web site. (It looks much better on DVD!).
This 19-minute DVD covers topics such as:

• Why it is important to use a qualified interpreter instead of “getting by” with hand gestures and limited second-language skills
• Key protocols for language interpreting, such as confidentiality and first-person interpreting
  
• Cultural considerations
• Tips for using remote interpreters (telephonic and video)
  

Production and distribution of the video is funded by Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit, making it possible for HCIN to deliver the video on DVD to health care providers at no charge.

Tips for Working With Interpreters

From the Minnesota Department of Human Services, these are some straightforward tips for effectively working with interpreters.

Laws Related to the Provision of Interpreting Services

Again from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, references to the legislation, both in Minnesota and on a federal level, that applies to providing qualified sign language interpreters.

Interpreter Credentials

From the Minnesota Department of Human Services, a description of the different certifications that an interpreter might hold.

The Importance of Qualified Interpreters

From the Cross Cultural Health Care Program, this page gives several sceanrios of what can happen if you are working with an interpreter who does not have adequate training or competency.

Guildelines for Use of Medical Interpreting Services

This is from the American Association of Medical Colleges: "The Organization of Student Representatives has developed a resource for medical students who need additional guidance in the use of a medical interpreter during interactions with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients. Students can use the medical interpreter card during encounters with LEP patients as a basic reference for interpreter options and their appropriate use."

Diversity Rx: Multicultural Health Best Practices Overview

This site provides inforomation about best practices in delivering medical services to people from a wide variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Deaf Access Program of Sinai Health System

This program is a model for other providers to consider in providing access to its paitients who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. It includes a survey Deaf adults entitled, "Improving Access to Health and Mental Health for Chicago's Deaf Community," which may prove informative for other health systems considering how to improve access.