The use of interpreter services and its barriers faced by hospital staff when accessing interpreters for patients with low English proficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic

ISSUE ADDRESSED

Patients with low English proficiency (LEP) often require interpreter services in health care, however, their usage remains low. This study aimed to explore the barriers to accessing interpreter services and suggests ways services can be improved in hospitals.

METHODS

We conducted focus groups with clinicians and a retrospective audit of patient records. The clinicians were recruited from the inpatient wards and Emergency Department in a Sydney hospital, August 2022. The focus group discussion explored clinicians' experiences using an interpreter, and ways to improve access to the service. It was recorded, transcribed and coded thematically using Braun and Clarke's (2006) 6-step framework. The patient record data were linked with the interpreter service booking data to determine whether patients flagged as requiring an interpreter on admission were provided with the service.

RESULTS

Two focus groups were conducted with clinicians (N = 9 in total). Long wait times for telephone interpreters, an inflexible booking system, and low availability of in-person interpreters were identified as the barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted in-person service provision.

CONCLUSION

Some systemic barriers including an inflexible booking process and long wait times for immediate interpreter services were identified. The low use of interpreter services is attributed to the difficulties accessing the service and poor documentation in patient records. SO WHAT?: Greater availability of in-person interpreter services, an upgraded booking system, and effective implementation the NSW Health Standard Procedures for Working with Health Care Interpreters will address some of these barriers.

A comparative study of the economic and social functioning of Vietnamese-Australians with low English proficiency living with psychotic illness

BACKGROUND

Because national surveys of people living with psychotic disorders tend to exclude people with low English proficiency (LEP), little is known of their economic and social functioning. Culturally influenced explanatory models may result in delayed presentation and poorer functioning.

AIMS

The study aimed to compare the functioning of LEP Vietnamese-Australian and Australian-born patients with psychosis and to investigate the Vietnamese-Australians' pathways to care.

METHOD

In all, 19 LEP Vietnamese-Australians, previously excluded from the Australian Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP), were matched with 15 Australian-born controls, and interviewed by a Vietnamese bilingual mental health professional using the SHIP Interview Schedule.

RESULTS

The Vietnamese-Australian patients were significantly more likely to live with family, rate spirituality as important and participate in community rehabilitation programs. Their work, social and independent functioning, was better than the controls. The groups did not differ in mental health services received and satisfaction with services. Although half of Vietnamese-Australians attributed mental illness to supernatural, among other causes, none had consulted traditional healers.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite LEP, Vietnamese-Australians with psychosis showed comparable or better functioning than Australian-born patients. Further investigation is recommended into LEP patients' clinical and social recovery and the role of language communities' support networks.