Communication is vital to provide top-notch patient-centered care. However, patients with limited English proficiency and those who are Deaf can pose significant challenges to reaching this goal.
The Corvallis Clinic’s use of a video interpreting service aims to ensure that goal is met.
“The Corvallis Clinic is the first large clinic group in the Willamette Valley to implement video remote interpreting,” said Cynthia Anderson, CEO of Anderson Interpreting Service in Salem, a longtime Clinic partner in offering foreign language and American Sign Language (ASL) services.
“I have been very impressed with the outstanding professionalism displayed by the administration and staff of The Corvallis Clinic, who have shown their intent to provide interpreters with the highest credentials for their patients at all times,” she said.
From a simple tablet on wheels, and with the push of a few buttons, staff and providers at many Clinic locations have immediate access to medically trained and certified interpreters in more than 200 languages and in ASL. The software and interpreters are provided by Anderson Interpreting Service and Stratus Video Interpreting.
The software also includes a digital white board for asking the interpreter to clarify such crucial information as medication dosages. It also has a privacy screen used for the times the patient does not want to be seen by the interpreter.
“It is vitally important that we do our best to help patients and their families understand the complex medical information that impacts their treatment and care,” said Dr. Dennis Regan, Clinic medical director. “The Corvallis-Albany area has a diverse population. In addition to English, our patients speak languages such as Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish, along with people who depend on American Sign Language. Our commitment to patient-centered care includes providing a culturally appropriate experience for our patients and their families.”
Limited English Proficient Patients
“I am giving him a note to be off work while he rehabs from his shoulder injury,” said Dr. Richard Stanley, a Clinic orthopedic surgeon, after examining his patient Enrique Herrera at The Clinic’s Waverly Drive-Albany office. “Can you ask him if he has any questions?”
The Interpreter relayed in Spanish to Herrera what Dr. Stanley had just said. “‘I don’t have any questions. Everything is OK,’” the interpreter quoted Herrera as replying.
Dr. Stanley then asked the interpreter to tell Herrera to keep his shoulder in a sling and to make a follow-up appointment in four weeks.
“Gracias,” Herrera said once the interpreter finished.
“It is easy to use and reliable,” Dr. Stanley said of the service after Herrera’s appointment. “It makes the non-English speaking community more comfortable and gives a better quality of care. The clarity is so much better than the phone-line interpreter,” Stanley said comparing the new iPad language device to a previously used telephone
Anderson also suggests that the virtual face-to-face contact makes it possible for the interpreter to pick up non-verbal cues from the patient as well. However, as of now, only about 10 of the languages have a video option, and the rest are audio.
Convenience for ASL patients
Anderson said there is a national shortage of certified ASL interpreters. “At times, interpreters needed to travel from Portland or Eugene to The Corvallis Clinic,” she said, “and often were not available when needed. This was inconvenient to patients and providers.”
The video interpreting device is available at The Clinic’s Immediate Care Center and at CareNow, with their extended seven-days-a-week operations.Prior to using this technology, patients would have to work their schedule around times during which an available interpreter could be found. “Now it is easy for Deaf patients using American Sign Language to schedule appointments with their providers on any date or at any time,” Anderson said, “And they know that a qualified interpreter will be able to assist – even on weekends or in urgent-care situations.”
“Having the interpreter ‘present’ really helps understanding,” Dr. Regan said, “and is necessary for comprehending ASL.”
Strict Privacy Guidelines
The video system meets the stringent requirements of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, Anderson said. “It ensures the privacy of the patient interaction with the highest level of protection,” she said. “Each video session is encrypted and firewalls have been set to measure up to the rigid security requirements.”
For Dr. Regan, it presents another opportunity to put the patient at the center of what The Clinic does.
“Going to the doctor can be scary at the best of times,” he said, “and it is much more so for our limited English proficiency and Deaf patients. This service helps promote comfort to the patients and lets our caregivers focus on patient needs rather than on the communication barrier.”
