Nursing

JCAHO takes a look at importance of translators

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, August 18, 2006

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In 2004, the number of U.S. residents with a primary language other than English jumped to 50 million or 19% of the population, according to USA Today. Translator services at hospitals, however, are not experiencing the same growth.

In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, emergency departments offered no translator services nearly half the time (46%) when dealing with non-English speaking patients.

In response to findings like these, the JCAHO has started analyzing data from a survey of 60 hospitals nationwide to determine whether standards concerning translator services need to be addressed. Facilities could ultimately be penalized and miss out on accreditation if they cannot appropriately provide care to non-English speaking patients. Findings are expected later this year.

Sources: USA Today, Associated Press, and California Healthline



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