Hispanic patients

[RNfromMS]

The unit I work in deals with a lot of non-english speaking patients and their families, mainly hispanic (just so you know, they are my very favorite patients...I could work in a hospital with only hispanic laboring women all day long.) Our hospital employs translators to help with these patients and one of them brought up an interesting point the other day that I am trying to find a way to deal with. I was working in our triage department and had a young hispanic patient who miscarried her 8 week fetus while I was trying to get information. It was all very sad and confusing (for her). After I had done our customary discharge paperwork, I asked the translator to let her know the particulars, especially since she would need to take her methergine on schedule. The translator asked later if we could do the discharge instructions in spanish. I let her know that we did not have the tools to perform that, but have thought of it continuously since then. I discussed the issue with one the RNs who manages our computer charting and have even worked in Microsoft Word to translate the document myself. The only problem with that is that some is write in (i.e., discharge diagnosis, allergies, etc) and there are too many to have them available for a nurse to write on or type into the document.

Any one have any thing they can share from their experience with this? Anything will help. Most of these women in our area don't seek medical care during their pregnancy and I think this is a big reason why.

[bagladyrn, RN]

If you have translators available wouldn't they be able to help you "fill in the blanks" on a discharge for written in Spanish? The discharge forms I have used in Spanish are the same instructions as the English ones so that I can put them side by side and know where to write in such things as dates of follow up appts. and names of medications.

[KScott]

This seems so odd to me, living in Arizona. Everything is in English and Spanish. Why won't your hospital print the forms in Spanish, or am I misunderstanding what you're asking?

[RNfromMS]

This seems so odd to me, living in Arizona. Everything is in English and Spanish. Why won't your hospital print the forms in Spanish, or am I misunderstanding what you're asking?

Right now (I'm in Tennessee) we don't have the ability on our system to do this. The RN who is our computer specialist has said she will take the information that I have acquired and make it a part of the program. I don't think the hospital won't do it, I think they just haven't caught up yet to our greatly increased Hispanic population. The translator staff has been greatly increased in an attempt to keep someone on staff 7 days a week, if not 24 hours a day. Also, we have two phones we can use for translation that use a live person for help. (However, one day we had a patient with a latino language that no one on our language line could speak.)

Basically I was just asking if anyone who has "everything" in Spanish could maybe help out with forms or such that would aid us in getting stronger in our ability to help our patients. Thanks for your time and sorry for the confusion.

[KScott]

Basically I was just asking if anyone who has "everything" in Spanish could maybe help out with forms or such that would aid us in getting stronger in our ability to help our patients. Thanks for your time and sorry for the confusion.

I get it now. I'm not a nurse, yet, and I don't work in a hospital, so I can't help, but maybe, you could post your request in the Arizona, California and New Mexico forums to get a more direct response?

[Crocuta, RN]

Something to consider if you are trying to translate your documents in-house: You risk setting yourself up for problems should you mistranslate something. Creating a translation that provides confusing and/or inaccurate information, even accidentally, could open you or the facility up to expensive lawsuits. There are medical translation companies that do the type of translation you are looking for using native speakers. Do a search for "medical translation" and you'll find several.

For stock discharge information, my facility has recently started using the Micromedex CareNotes system: http://www.micromedex.com/products/carenotes/. It's a great system, and I've really enjoyed having it.

[babyktchr, BSN, RN]

We have all of our forms/instructions/permits in spanish. They are translated via our hospital interpreter from the english ones. They then go to a few checks and balances (they are sent to other translator services for review) and when they were approved, they became what we now use. The problem now...we run into a great number of that population who cannot read in any language.

[CEG]

Like a PP said, watch out for translations. I studied French and for fun would plug things into translators to see what came out and easily 50% of things were wrong- words used out of context, translated for the wrong meaning, etc. Def hire a medical translation service.

[mjsobrn]

I work in CA where we have ALOT of spanish speeking only Pt's Ihave learned alot but there is always words that I get stuck on I purchased a book for a chain book store that has a whole OB section eng/spanish question and answer section it takes longer to communicate but works well, I suggest finding one that works for you.

[KellNY, RN]

This is a serious issue in a lot of hospitals lately. We have I'd say about a 30% population who is primarily spanish speaking, and about half of them don't know enough english to say "My head hurts" or "I have to pee". We don't have our d/c instructions in Spanish, much to everyone's frustration. Consents for admit and procedures, we do.

I think you all need to get together (your unit, and others--even if it's just PP, NN and NICU--though it's best to involve as many diversified units as possible) and talk to the ADN, nursing officers, whoever can help make this happen. You need the forms PROFESSIONALLY translated for liability reasons.

What may help a bit is call around and see which local pharmacies have a truly bilingual pharmacist or pharm. tech/assist to help explain the meds to the pt.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

(However, one day we had a patient with a latino language that no one on our language line could speak.)

What was it?

[KellNY, RN]

Central and South America (as well as Mexico) are full of Natives

For example, the indigenous language in Boliva is Quechua, which can also be heard in other Incan cultures.

Some speak Maya. Some Nahuatl (aztec language, found often in Mexico).

It's like listening to a member of the Lakota speaking their native tongue and getting an English speaker to translate. Way diff. languages.

It's incorrect to refer to these languages as Latino even if those from "latin america" as they were around long before Spain came over.