Lecture 20 - Cultural communications and use of interpreters in health

Question 1

What can go wrong if clinician and patient use different languages

Answer 1

• rapport building
• empathising and consoling
• need non-verbal language as well

Question 2

Pitfalls and issues of using an interpretor

Answer 2

• deficit when interpreters are used
• technical errors - reliability and vailidity, suble ways of expressing sumptoms not accuratel interpreted
• human eerrors - epersonal relationship issues

Question 3

Summary to try and reduce pitfalls

Answer 3

Rapport
o Build cross cultural rapport
o Verbal and non-verbal
2. Remedy technical/interpreter errors
o Awareness oflanguage errors in verbal and non-verbal expression
o Cross validating findings by the use of validated scales in client’s language
o Awareness of personal/relationship issues
o Monitoring of interpreting process to reduce errors (patient health questionnaire)