Medical interpretation: Providing a necessary service to an at-risk population

Abstract

The Spanish-speaking Hispanic population in the United States is growing rapidly, with the number of people above the age of 5 who speak spanish at home already at 13% of the US population. [1] With this expanding diversity, many aspects of the American economy and culture will be affected, but perhaps the most predominant of these effected fields is healthcare. The necessity for "linguistically competent care" is a hot topic of conversation in healthcare policy, and hospitals all over the US are struggling to meet the need [3]. It has been shown that language barriers greatly increase the risks to patient safety, as well as decrease the perceived availability of general healthcare [4, 5, 6, 7]. In efforts to improve the quality of care being provided to Spanish-speaking patients, the use of medical interpreters has become the norm in situations where physicians who speak Spanish are not available. This review aims to compile the current research pertaining to the importance of, current complications with, and available methods for medical interpretation in the United States. Using this information, this paper will conclude with a list of practical suggestions for improved healthcare access and quality of care for the Spanish-speaking population.