You can address critical gaps in how you communicate with patients by recognizing your most common roadblocks and discovering where other providers find the best interpretation services for hospitals.
Communication Challenges Between Patients and Medical Providers
If you’ve ever walked away from a patient encounter and wondered why something feels off, you might have run into communication struggles. Identifying them is the first step in fixing problems for patients.
Language and Terminology Confusion
Discussions with patients can be challenging for multiple reasons. You might not speak the patient’s primary language, so describing your recommended treatment options is challenging. They also might not understand medical terminology. Even if you have time to explain everything, many patients feel too embarrassed to ask for repeated explanations. Trying to solve both challenges simultaneously can feel impossible on your own.
Many people are also hard of hearing. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders estimates that 22% of people aged 65 to 74 and 55% of people over 75 have disabling hearing loss. If you don’t know sign languages, speaking clearly and loudly enough without offending patients could be difficult.
Rushed Patient Visits
You likely have a specific number of patients you must see each day. Fitting them all into your shift may be easier said than done. People recognize when their doctor or nurse is already thinking about their next patient. Rushed encounters can hurt medical teams in multiple ways.
Patients may not tell you all of their symptoms if they think you’re trying to get out of the room quickly. They might also feel dismissed if you push through your encounter at a clipped pace. Both issues prevent people from getting the excellent medical care they need.
Occasional Lack of Empathy
Emotionally supporting your patient during tough conversations is harder when your communication skills are struggling. If you don’t speak the same language, you may not pick up their precise wording and recognize how they’re feeling, especially if their body language appears fine.
If patients don’t get support when they feel scared or anxious, the foundational trust between medical teams and patients shatters. Empathetic support improves communication and decreases complications, but it’s not always easy to achieve that when you’re stressed, rushed or overwhelmed.
How Communication Challenges Pose Critical Operations Risks
Miscommunication between friends and family happens all the time. When it occurs in medical offices, the results can be drastic. You and your team could experience things such as:
- Poor patient outcomes due to speaking different languages or not explaining terminology well enough
- Increased legal risk from miscommunication during rushed visits
- Lower patient satisfaction scores and less revenue if people view you as an unempathetic healthcare provider
Tools are available to solve communication challenges in health care facilities. Investing in the best interpretation services for hospitals could prevent operational risks that could otherwise hurt patients.
Solve the Gaps With Martti
Martti is an easy-to-use app that connects patients to medical interpreters 24/7. Your patients could video call someone who understands them on devices like iPads. They’ll easily access someone who can converse with them, so every patient knows what’s happening during their appointments. Martti team members speak over 250 languages, including American Sign Language (ASL).
If you’re interested in supporting your health care team’s workflows with live interpreters, Martti representatives will travel to your worksite. They’ll arrange educational opportunities to train everyone in your office on device management and maintenance. If your patients always have access to high-quality, HIPAA-compliant video interpreters, you can reduce operational risks and deliver the best possible care.
Key Features:
- Providers can access interpreters within an average of 11 to 13 seconds.
- Martti integrates with many telehealth and EHR platforms to ensure compliance.
- Interpreter sessions include automatic documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about addressing patient communication barriers.
What are the best interpretation services for hospitals?
The best interpretation services for hospitals are easy-to-access platforms like Martti. They provide nearly instantaneous support to patients and doctors, including ASL interpretation.
How much do on-demand interpretation services cost?
On-demand interpretation services cost varying amounts per minute for video and phone sessions. The pricing breakdown depends on which platform health care teams choose. Interpretation services may also require set up and monthly subscription fees.
What are the four basic roles in health care interpreting?
The four basic roles in healthcare interpreting are being a conduit, crossing cultures, clarifying information and advocating for patients. The best interpreters can easily handle all four aspects of their job because they’re passionate about improving patient experiences.
Solve Communication Gaps With Interpreters
Your team can avoid operational risks arising from miscommunication by relying on excellent interpreters, such as those working with Martti. They’ll ensure patients understand what’s happening during their appointment so they can make the best decisions possible for their well-being. Your team can even enjoy services like automated documentation to get more time with everyone who walks into your hospital.