You're advocating for patients with language barriers in healthcare. How can you make a meaningful impact?

It's about bridging communication gaps and respecting diverse cultural needs. This ensures that no one is left behind when seeking healthcare services. This is what real healthCARE is about. And here is something you might find helpful: 1.Hire bilingual staff and use multilingual resources. 2.Use professional interpreters and simplify communication. 3.Provide cultural competence training for staff. 4.Engage with community organizations and collect patient feedback.

To be a valuable advocate, one must first respect the client. You must then let them lead the process. One must follow closely each need in the way that is described, not the way that is assumed- if unsure ask- infographics and diagrams are helpful in successful knowledge translation. Then, confirm at each step, that each outcome is as expected, before proceeding. One gains trust but also success and fulfilment if one diligently undertakes advocacy with this approach.

Patients who speak a different language have the same need to feel that their healthcare provider is on their team -no matter what set of words they use to communicate. I let my patients know from the outset that I will do whatever is within my reach to take care of their healthcare needs, even if the communication may be a challenge- it is one that we can overcome❤️🙏

A key factor in building relevant and successful cultural sensitivity into a team’s disposition and activities very much includes diverse hiring. One cannot underscore the advantage of lived experiences, shared cultural knowledge and apt interpretation of non-verbal cue that will naturally reside in persons of the same culture or similar backgrounds. These unique perspectives cannot be taught overnight and can only be honourably imbibed with full investment and humility. It behoves the community to expand its diversity through its hiring practices to build, embody, and sustain cultural sensitivity.

First off, when interpreting for a medical provider I try to sit behind or to the side of the limited English person. I want the medical provider to address them without having to turn their face to me. I want to be sure they can hear what the provider is saying. The words will sound in their language and they can see their provider's face and expression. These words might be too technical to understand. At this point, I will ask the LEP if the terms used by the providers were understood.

It’s helpful to identify what the patient really wants to know, assuage that thirst and then proceed to share other relevant information if the provider believes it is helpful. In fact, prompts exist to help the provider map the trajectory of patient education in a way that quenches the patient’s curiosity but also empowers them to