Understanding, and being understood, is crucial to feeling safe in serious situations. For those who are unfamiliar with the languages spoken by healthcare providers, this is not always a given.
Over-the-phone interpretation is critical in healthcare, but not all healthcare providers take advantage of this important service. If you are in the healthcare field and considering over-the-phone interpretation services for your organization, here are five reasons the service is extremely necessary:
#1 Ensures Patient Safety
A patient’s nerves may already be high when they receive a call from their healthcare provider. They may be awaiting test results or anticipating important treatment plans. In these situations, the patient needs to fully understand what their healthcare provider is sharing with them.
Over-the-phone interpretation ensures your patients will understand the full scope of their healthcare updates, and be able to take the necessary steps for treatments and other needs. With this service, you can always be confident someone is available to speak with your patient regardless of what language they’re most familiar with.
#2 Builds Trust
In a healthcare setting, patients may feel confused or defensive if they do not understand their caregiver. This can lead to a certain level of hostility or refusal to participate in necessary medical action.
An over-the-phone interpretation service can bridge the gap in these situations, providing a means to understand what’s going on and build trust as a result.
#3 Prevents Misinformation
Now more than ever, we have seen the consequences of misinformation spreading. Many people who do not speak the same language as their healthcare providers in their area will turn to other sources for medical information. These sources can be incredibly misinformed, and harmful to those who are taking them as fact.
Over-the-phone interpretation provides a direct line for individuals to speak with an individual that can communicate necessary healthcare information and avoid incorrect information from spreading.
#4 Urgency Is Met
In healthcare settings, there is often a sense of urgency. Serious situations where action needs to be taken immediately requires the patients and their families to fully understand the scope of what is going on.
In these situations, over-the-phone interpretation is a major help. The convenience of being able to reach someone on the phone at any time for interpretation ensures your patients always have a direct line to fully understand the necessary actions, saving valuable time.
#5 Affordable Service
Keeping an onsite interpreter at your healthcare location at all times can be costly, and often less effective than over-the-phone interpretation services. Here, you are able to have access to multiple interpreters who speak various languages, and do not need to worry about the process of managing an individual onsite at all times.
Overall, over-the-phone interpretation services are a major advantage in healthcare settings. They help to ensure patients can always fully understand the scope of their healthcare, and inspire trust and safety throughout. If you are considering over-the-phone interpretation services at your location, consider Workplace Languages.
Workplace Languages
At Workplace Languages we are not limited to just translation services, we also offer our clients a wide range of corporate language solutions so they can thrive in the international business environment.
If you would like to learn more about Workplace Languages, and how we can help you with your language and translation needs, please contact us here.
