What's Lost in Translation: A Dialogue-Based Intervention That Improves Interpreter Confidence in Palliative Care Conversations

Background: For US patients with limited English proficiency (LEP), diversity of language and culture can create potential health care disparities in discussions of prognosis and goals of care. Although professional medical interpreters are often thought of as language conduits, they are also trained as clarifiers and mediators of cultural barriers between providers, patients and their families. Identifying interpreter challenges in Palliative Care (PC) conversations and brainstorming and rehearsing solutions could improve their confidence interpreting PC encounters and being cultural mediators.

Measures: Pre- and Pre/Postintervention PC confidence questionnaires.

Intervention: six-session monthly dialogue-based course.

Outcomes: Interpreters showed significant increases in postintervention confidence in PC communication compared with pre-intervention (z = -5.646, P< 0.000).

Conclusions/lessons learned: This dialogue-based intervention eliciting ongoing interpreter challenges, with PC social work facilitation and role-play with PC clinicians in a mutually respectful environment, significantly improved interpreter confidence in partnering with clinicians in PC conversations.