Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous lessons were learned about the state of the healthcare industry worldwide. Some of the lessons shined light on amazing capabilities, while others put the spotlight on areas in healthcare that need significant improvement, such as how the medical field often overlooks the ability to communicate with and administer care to people who speak different languages. The good news is that there is a solution to the problem of not effectively communicating and caring for foreign-speaking patients; the answer lies in ensuring that interpreter and translation services in healthcare become an integral part of the medical field.

Here are some of the reasons why hiring interpreters will be greatly beneficial to the healthcare industry.

Medical Interpretation Saves Lives

When someone is experiencing a medical emergency, language barriers have to be quickly overcome, or precious time will be wasted. It is critical that the patient and the physician understand each other, so that life-saving decisions can be made. Having an interpreter available could make the difference in whether the patient survives their life-threatening ordeal.

Interpretation Services Improve Patient Care

Along with saving lives, medical interpretation can also improve a patient’s overall care, starting with collecting data about the patient’s medical history. This information is an essential part of the patient’s care plan, so having an interpreter available to bridge any communication gaps is important. Even if the patient has someone with them who understands both languages, this is often not enough to ensure that the information is accurately relayed to the medical staff.

By having an interpreter accessible, the discussion between the patient and the physician will run more smoothly, allowing them to decide on the best treatment plan moving forward.

There is Less Room for Errors

In the medical field, even the smallest detail matters. Without interpreters, it would be easy for some points to be miscommunicated or misunderstood. In addition, some language pairs are more challenging to translate than others, so having a professional interpreting service that understands the medical field is particularly important.

Even without language barriers, it can be hard for patients to explain their symptoms in a way that truly represents their condition; relaying this vital information is even more challenging when dealing with two languages.

Patients and Their Families Will Feel More at Ease

Seeking healthcare can be a difficult and stressful experience for patients and their families, and it is quite frustrating when they do not feel like they are being understood. However, if patients have access to medical interpreters, they can feel more at ease throughout the process, making it run more smoothly for everyone involved.

Interpreters Make People Feel Welcome

Like with other industries, competition can be tough in healthcare. People often have a choice of medical facilities and pharmaceutical companies, and they are more likely to select a place where they feel welcome. Part of this is knowing that their voice will be heard because someone there speaks their language. Because of this, the number of patients visiting the facility will increase, and its reputation in the community will get a boost. Having access to medical interpreters will help patients feel like they are respected and that they will receive top-notch care, regardless of where they are from or what language they speak.

Healthcare Interpreters Save Time and Money

Along with ensuring that the patients have the best care possible, hiring interpreters can save time and money for medical facilities. By working with a healthcare interpreter, information provided by the patients will be accurate from the beginning at intake and follow them throughout the experience. As such, less time will be spent on correcting both small and critical mistakes. Think about the amount of time that could be spent on gathering health insurance information. With an interpreter, it should be a quick turnaround; however, such a simple task could become cumbersome without their assistance.

By ensuring that translation interpreter services are used throughout the healthcare industry, many of the issues that are caused by language barriers will be reduced or eliminated. Partner with a company that hires interpreters who are medical subject matter experts and who are native speakers of the required language pair.

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the problem that the medical community often overlooks the ability to communicate with and administer care to people who speak different languages. Hiring interpreters can solve this problem and be greatly beneficial to the healthcare industry.