A 44-year-old Spanish-speaking Mexican American patient comes to the emergency department. The patient is exhibiting signs of severe pain but does not speak any English. A Spanish-speaking secretary from Peru offers to help with the translation
How can the nurse best facilitate the translation?
a. Maintain eye contact with the patient and the secretary.
b. Ensure the secretary is not left alone with the patient.
c. Use hand signals to determine the cause of the pain.
d. Use only physical examination data; do not rely on verbal communication.
ANS: A
If necessary, arrange to have an interpreter, either a family member or coworker, available to ensure understanding of what is discussed. Use of eye contact can help the nurse interpret the information. There is no reason to avoid leaving the secretary with the patient, to rely on hand signals, or to avoid verbal communication when an interpreter is available.
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