Baker Scholar Projects
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2018
Abstract
It is a seldom-discussed fact that English-speakers in America enjoy a quality of health care that is not necessarily afforded to non-native speakers receiving care at the same facilities. Policy regarding what is required of health institutions in terms of translation services is exceedingly vague, and implementation of this policy is inconsistent. This lack of guidance makes it possible for many patients needing interpreters to fall through the cracks. This project will examine current policy guiding interpretive services in the U.S., and will recommend more specific guidelines that would improve quality of care for limited English proficiency individuals. This project will also include an ethical analysis of the necessity to provide high-quality interpretation services, as they are essential to ensuring that informed consent is obtained.
Though this project focuses largely on the Spanish language, as Spanish is the second-most widely spoken language in the United States besides English, and Spanish-speakers make up over a tenth of the U.S. population, its aim is to lay the foundation for a standard that serves non-English speakers of any other language. If hospitals claim to offer excellence in health care for all, they must uphold this responsibility, which is precisely what this project and resulting policy recommendations seek to ensure.
Recommended Citation
Beach, Isidora Rose, "Policy of Current Hospital Translation Services and Recommendations for Future Adjustments for Spanish-Speaking Patients" (2018). Baker Scholar Projects.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_bakerschol/50
Included in
Applied Ethics Commons, Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Health and Medical Administration Commons, Health Policy Commons, Health Services Administration Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Latina/o Studies Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Modern Languages Commons, Other Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Philosophy of Science Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Policy History, Theory, and Methods Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Policy Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Policy Commons, Social Welfare Commons