How to Deal With a Patient Who Doesn't Speak English

In the health care system there are many patients that are from different cultures. It is sometimes difficult to communicate with patients who do not understand English. In order to give them the best care, there has to be a way to communicate with them so that they can understand you. Without a specific plan, you will not be sure if the patient understands the treatments or the instructions associated with the medications. There are various methods that you can use to effectively deal with patients who don't speak English.

Instructions

• 1

  Choose an interpreter to help deal with a patient who doesn't speak English. You can ask one of the patient's family members who speaks English to come along, or hire a professionally trained interpreter. If you are doing a complicated procedure, you will definitely need to use a qualified interpreter to protect yourself from malpractice or negligence.

• 2

  Schedule a time in advance of any procedure so that the interpreter can go over all of the information that is needed to be relayed. Allow the interpreter enough time to communicate with the patient about what you will be doing during the procedure.

• 3

  Document all of the steps that were taken to provide the standard care to the patient. You should make sure that your patient understands everything that is said through the interpreter. The patient should agree to any treatment and post-treatment steps before proceeding.