The nurse is assigned to care for a patient who is a non-native English speaker. What is the best way to communicate with the patient and family to provide updates and explain procedures?

Question

a. Conduct a Google search on the computer to identify resources for the patient and family in their native language. Print these for their use.
b. Contact the hospital's interpreter service for someone to translate.
c. Get in touch with one of the residents that you know is fluent in the native language and ask him if he can come up to the unit.
d. Use the 8-year old child who is fluent in both English and the native language to translate for you.

Answer 1

B
The best approach when communicating with someone whose primary language is not English is to contact the interpreter services of the agency. These individuals are trained and knowledgeable. If the nurse conducted a search on the computer, she would not know if the information retrieved was valid nor would she know if the patient or family can read in their native language. Although one of the residents might be fluent in the language, you do not know his abilities to translate. In addition, his availability is likely to be limited. Although the child might be able to translate, the nurse cannot ensure that the child is translating healthcare concepts correctly.