St. Helena Parish Hospital & Nursing Home

PURPOSE

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St Helena Parish Hospital shall ensure that Limited English Proficient (LEP), Hearing, or Speech Impaired patients and their families are able to effectively provide hospital staff with a clear statement of their medical condition and history and understand the healthcare provider’s assessment of their medical condition and treatment options.  This is essential to the provision of quality patient care.

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POLICY

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• This hospital shall provide language assistance services, including bilingual staff and interpreter services, at no cost to each patient/consumer with limited English proficiency, at all points of contact in a timely manner during all hours of operation, thus ensuring that LEP patients have available translation services to assist in understanding the activities of staff members on their behalf and ensuring the patients’/families’ involvement in planning care, treatment and services

  • Cyracom International Inc. interpreter service is available to all departments within the facility.  Instructions for use are in ER1111A

• LEP patients shall have services provided to them in their primary language or have interpreter services provided to them during the delivery of all significant healthcare services.

• LEP patients shall be advised of their right to have interpreter services provided within a reasonable time, at no charge to the patient.

• The following types of encounters/procedures, when performed by providers who do not speak the same primary language spoken by the patient, shall require the use of healthcare interpreter services, including, but not limited to:

  • Providing emergency medical services

  • Obtaining medical histories

  • Explaining any diagnosis and plan for medical treatment

  • Discussing any mental health issues or concerns

  • Explaining any change in regimen or condition

  • Explaining any medical procedures, tests or surgical interventions

  • Explaining patient rights and responsibilities

  • Explaining the use of restraints or seclusion

  • Obtaining informed consent

  • Providing medication instructions and explanation of potential side effects

  • Explaining discharge plans

  • Discussing issues at patient and family care conferences and/or health education sessions

  • Discussing Advance Directives

  • Discussing end-of-life decisions

  • Obtaining financial and insurance information

• Using family members as interpreters:

  • Should a patient insist upon the use of a friend or family member to provide him/her with interpreting service, hospital staff shall ensure that a healthcare interpreter is also present to participate in the exchange to confirm that the translation represents an accurate portrayal of the information to hospital staff and patients.

    • The name of the friend or family member who interprets for the patient and her/his relationship to the patient (i.e., wife, friend) shall be documented in the medical record along with the identification of the healthcare interpreter.

    • Documentation shall note the patient’s consent for use of a family member to perform translation services.

  • Necessary emergency care shall not be withheld pending the arrival of interpreter services.

  • All necessary contact numbers and access codes for the direct contact of contracted interpreter services, hospital translation staff and/or qualified bilingual staff shall be available to staff providing patient care, treatment and services.

  • Qualified providers of healthcare interpreting at this hospital include:

    • Bilingual medical providers whose bilingual qualifications have been tested and documented by the Human Resources Department

    • Bilingual employees who are licensed and certified to provide medical, nursing, medical technician or social work services.

    • Interpreter Services contracted by the Hospital.

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PROCEDURE

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• Upon presentation to the hospital, language needs shall be determined for all patients:

  • The patient shall be asked if he/she speaks a language other than English at home.

  • If the patient answers “yes”, the patient shall be asked in what language he/she prefers to receive his/her medical services and in what language he/she prefers to receive written materials.

  • When a patient self-identifies as not being fluent in English, the patient’s primary language shall be documented in the patient’s medical records.

  • The name and relationship to the patient of the person who interprets for the patient shall be documented in the medical record.  Document Interpreter’s ID

• Acceptable methods for the provision of interpreter services shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

  • In-person interpreting

  • Telephone-based interpreting see ED1111A

  • Videoconferencing interpreting see ED1111A

  • Hearing/Speech Impaired patients may be provided with pen and paper or dry erase boards to facilitate communication.

  • Google Translate may be used if other methods of communication not available.

• The following shall be taken into consideration when determining the appropriate method for the delivery of interpreter services:

  • The critical nature of the clinical interaction

  • Availability of specific and qualified in-person interpreters

  • Availability of technology to allow for telephonic or video-conferenced interpreters

  • Additional considerations, such as the shortest wait times for patients and clinicians and the most cost-effective use of staff and contracted agencies, shall also be considered.

• Areas of first patient contact shall be equipped with poster/flyers to assist in identifying the patient’s primary language if communication barriers prevent hospital staff from effectively determining the language of the patient. The patient shall point to his/her language on the poster/flyer so that staff can obtain the appropriate interpreter service in the appropriate language.

• Contracted telephonic interpreter services [substitute with internal hospital interpreter service department if available] should be called if the patient is unable to use the Language Determination Card, and hospital staff cannot determine the appropriate language to request.

• The patient’s primary language shall be documented in the medical record.  Use of interpreter services and provision of translated vital documents or oral translation of all vital documents to patients shall be documented and placed in the patient’s medical record.

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REFERENCE

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).  (n.d.). National CLAS Standards.  Retrieved from https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas

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