Lesson 14: Defining the Advocate Role Flashcards
what is advocacy
supporting or acting in favor of a person or idea
why is advocacy the most controversial of an MI
this role is controversial because an MI is supposed to be seen as “neutral” and is not supposed to influence the outcome of the interpreted interview
when is it appropriate for an interpreter to speak up on behalf of the patient
when the interpreter becomes concerned about the quality of care the patient is receiving, it may be appropriate for the interpreter to advocate
when is the advocate role take on in a medical setting
to help equalize an imbalance in power
what are some arguments for why advocacy should be included in the role of an MI?
- compassion and empathy for the patient
- feeling that helping a person without power is the right thing to do
- wanting to ensure that the patient receives the best possible treatment
- having concern for other’s welfare
what are some arguments against why advocacy should NOT be included in the roles of an MI?
- compromises the MI’s neutrality and can undermine provider’s trust in the MI
- bothersome people who are constantly demanding more and better care for their LEP patients than an English-speaking patient would receive
- patronize patients who are perfectly capable of standing up for themselves
- can create patient dependency, not only on MI in general, but on certain MI in particular
- is not an MI’s job, and there are already people in healthcare system whose job it is to resolve patient problems
what does IMIA and NCHC say about MI’s as advocates
- they need the skills necessary to advocate well to increase, instead of decreasing a patient’s trust
- NCIHC says that an MI may take on the role of advocate only if they must “speak out to protect an individual from harm
- IMIA says that MI has a duty to “deal with discrimination” and act if the MI “feels strongly that either party’s behavior is affecting access to or quality of care”
how does an MI know how and when to advocate for the patient?
this changes depending on the laws and policies of where an MI is located, so it is important to be aware of the internal policies of the institutions where you interpret
what are the different interpreter contracts
- staff interpreters
- freelance/contract interpreters
- agency interpreters
- remote interpreters
what is the role of the staff interpreter and what do they do?
employed at healthcare facilities as dedicated interpreters for that facility. they:
- have broader scope for advocacy than other types of contracts
- have clear guidelines set for scope of advocacy
- have benefit of knowing their specific healthcare system
- have opportunity to build trusting relationships with providers and patients because of repeated work
what is the job a freelance/contract interpreter
contracted independently by a hospital or clinic. They:
- have freedom to accept/reject jobs
- usually only paid for time interpreting
- less familiar with policies and procedures unique to each facility because they often contract to various facilities
- can find it more difficult to develop relationships with patients and providers
- may have less time available to advocate if they have to leave for another appointment at another facility
what is the role of an agency interpreter
hired by interpreter agencies. They:
- have advocacy guidelines set by agency
- do not normally work at same facility and face challenges in being an advocate
- removed from healthcare facility’s procedures so their scope of advocacy is limited for agency interpreters
what is the role of remote interpreters
interpret via remote or video. They:
- don’t work in same building as the person they are interpreting for so its difficult/impossible for them to advocate as their contract ends when patients disconnect
when is advocacy not appropriate?
- when there is no misunderstanding or oversight
- patient does not want to continue with advocacy
- patient needs a service not provided for anybody in clinic in question
- advocacy would involve breaking confidentiality
- advocacy is primarily for benefit of interpreter and not patient
