The Power of Language

With a rising immigration population in America, physicians do not just see English seeking patients. There are citizens of all races and religions that require healthcare in America; this also adds to the number of languages that are spoken among the American people. Approximately 20 percent of people in the United States speak a language other than english. On the coasts, where immigration is more popular and prominent, the percentage is even higher. While many need medical translators, few actually receive access to them. And as the number of immigrants in the country continues to increase, this problem becomes more and more prevalent in hospitals all over the US.

It is can be very difficult to explain one's experience to another person, even within the same language. This makes it even more difficult to accurately describe how you are feeling to a doctor that doesn't speak your language. Miscommunication among patients and doctors is extremely common in cases where knowledge of the spoken language is not equal between doctor and patient. Frankly, this is extremely dangerous; the misunderstanding of one word can drastically change how the doctor chooses to handle the illness you have presented to him. This can either, by a stroke of luck, improve the patient's condition or leave the patient comatose. There have been many recorded cases that began with the miscommunication of a patient's symptoms or feelings, and ended in the death or destruction of a patient's life. While these cases are upsetting in themselves, miscommunication can have many other consequences. The most commonly recorded consequence is absence. Many patients that must suffer through a language barrier in their first doctoral visit, will likely skip their follow-up appointment. This makes them vulnerable to the worsening or return of their condition. 

All in all, hospitals should begin making medical translators available to every patient who needs one. This would not only improve the hospital's overall service, it would benefit the hospital economically as well. Many deaths or tragic results of miscommunication cases end in malpractice settlements. You would think that the reduction of malpractice suits would be a motivation for the healthcare system to encourage the use of translators. While this is only a minor problem within the medical field, I believe it has a very simple solution.