Abstract Body

Background and purpose

Language barriers between physicians and citizens with limited German proficiency are challenging. Oftentimes, bilingual staff members help out by interpreting. However, these language brokers do not necessarily comply with professional standards of interpreting, which can affect quality of care. In Germany, there is no systematic approach to train bilingual staff members in ambulatory settings.

Methods

We evaluated a course for medical assistants (MAs) co-taught by bilingual communication experts and medical experts following a structured curriculum: initial oral language assessment, weekend courses with practical training of culture-sensitive interpreting skills, coaching, and final assessment. The intervention involved eight bilingual Turkish-German MAs. Using a pre-post design, participants self-assessed their interpreting skills from 1 (very good) to 5 (poor) as well as other perceived changes and attitudes towards the training (agree / disagree). Protocols of the coaching sessions and final interviews were summarized and evaluated.

Results

MAs reported an increase in general interpreting skills (∆Mpre-Mpost=.63; 95%-CI: 0.19-1.06). A majority felt more confident in patient contact (n=5) and would recommend the training (n=7). In the coaching and interviews, MAs reported that they now prefer the strategy of interpreting literally, take more time to interpret accurately, pay more attention to their spatial positioning and separate their interpreter role from their role as an MA.

Conclusions

A systematic approach to training interpreting skills of bilingual staff in ambulatory settings was perceived as valuable by the MAs. It might be an important contribution to the improvement of quality in healthcare for a potentially vulnerable group.