Speaking in a foreign language with patients

[mac_kin]

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[FutureInternist]

The 4 hospitals that I rotated at had a strict policy AGAINST students (& doctors) conversing in a language other than English. This was to prevent any miscommunications since, while I may know my own language well enough for daily use I do not know how to say lungs, liver, pancreas etc.
The only way around it at these hospitals was to undergo their test that all wanna-be translators have to take & if you passed that you were OK to talk in your language.

Ofcourse, if you are alone in the room w/ the patient conducting a physical exam there really is nothing stopping you.

 

[45408]

Honestly, I'm not sure about an official policy, but one of our interns was fluent in Spanish, and our attendings would routinely use her to translate. Otherwise, the hospital has these blue phones that let you instantly call a translator on a 3-way call with the patient.

 

[Smurfette]

At the hospitals I work at, it is absolutely ok to speak in whatever language you want with a patient.

The exception is for consenting patients for procedures--you need to be an official interpreter or a "native speaker" of that language in order to do consents, and co-sign the consent as such.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Ours has a rule that you're not supposed to speak with a patient about anything medical (taking a history, consenting, explaining treatment etc.) unless you've taken some medical terminology test in that language to certify you as competent.

However, it's not enforced at all and the test is only offered in a few languages, so it's no big deal and people pretty much ignore it.

 

[Keona]

We realized recently that the place where I volunteer had a chart with all of these words mistranslated on it. They had never used it, but if they had there would have been a lot of confusion caused by it. I bet the nurses would appreciate an easy to use system, just make sure to check it with another person familiar with the language and with medicinal terms.

 

[Law2Doc]

Honestly, I'm not sure about an official policy, but one of our interns was fluent in Spanish, and our attendings would routinely use her to translate.

Agreed. If you were fluent in a foreign language, that was deemed a huge plus by the teams. From what I can tell, being able to converse with a patient in a foreign language is deemed as a huge positive, not against the rules, at many places.

 

[mjl1717]

Honestly, I'm not sure about an official policy, but one of our interns was fluent in Spanish, and our attendings would routinely use her to translate. Otherwise, the hospital has these blue phones that let you instantly call a translator on a 3-way call with the patient.

True, this happens and is reasonable....And I CAN'T see anyone getting into a pile of trouble meandering like this..

 

[mjl1717]

Honestly, I'm not sure about an official policy, but one of our interns was fluent in Spanish, and our attendings would routinely use her to translate. Otherwise, the hospital has these blue phones that let you instantly call a translator on a 3-way call with the patient.

True, this happens and is reasonable....And I CAN'T see anyone getting into a pile of trouble meandering like this..