More than 40 million people in the United States speak Spanish as their primary language, a number that continually increases every time census data is released. This accounts for about 13 percent of the American population, meaning there are millions of Spanish-speaking families with young children across the nation.
Is your pediatric practice equipped to care for these patients via telehealth? Providing telemedicine translation services will allow your community to overcome inequity and access barriers, while also improving outcomes. The Anytime Pediatrics virtual care solution is uniquely positioned to help you connect with your Spanish-speaking population through telemedicine, so keep reading to learn about the details and benefits of using telehealth translation services.
What are Telehealth Translation Services?
Within its telemedicine solution, Anytime Pediatrics offers its Spanish language virtual care platform for Spanish-speaking families. Because the instructions and fields are translated into the user’s primary language, this user-friendly system is easy to navigate.
When registering for a new account, users simply select Spanish. Seeing everything in Spanish allows them to register properly and create their account. All the required fields are in red, and caregivers are able to add their child’s information and request a telemedicine visit.
They choose the main reason or concern for the telehealth appointment, accept the terms of service and consent to treat, and enter the waiting room. This process makes it easy for your Spanish-speaking patients to have trusted telemedicine care from your pediatric office with the support of Anytime Pediatrics. Guardians also feel confident when connecting with you.
What are Live Interpreter Services?
When a Spanish-speaking family participates in a telehealth appointment within the Anytime Pediatrics platform, the provider is able to bring in a live interpreter. This service is now available for your pediatric practice 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
While it’s important to provide live interpreter services, it’s just as crucial to know how to use an interpreter properly. You might be wondering, “What is the role of a live interpreter?” This bilingual professional assists the family and clinician throughout the visit, complete with coordinating follow-up. They create a seamless connection between the pediatric provider and patients by acting as the following, which we call the three Cs.
- Conduit. The live interpreter brings information back and forth from the provider to the non-English-speaking patient and their caregiver.
- Clarifier. If the live interpreter notices that the patient is nodding but doesn’t seem to truly understand, they’ll ask the doctor to clarify the situation or further explain certain terms.
- Cultural broker. The live interpreter can explain religious or cultural differences, such as an in-home remedy to get rid of evil spirits.
In addition, it’s essential that the live interpreter can clearly see the patient because 80 percent of communication is nonverbal. During the virtual visit, the provider should speak directly to the patient, not to the interpreter, using first-person and short phrases.
Why Offer Translation Services During Telehealth Visits?
Overcome Inequity and Decrease Access Barriers
Data indicates that Spanish-speaking families experience frustration and delays during the patient registration process and when contacting providers via phone. They also report long wait times during appointments.
However, Spanish-speaking families frequently have to deal with the typical barriers to high-quality care that patients often cite. These include difficulty navigating medical facilities, distance to services, limited convenient appointment times, unsatisfactory care coordination, and inability to miss school or work. Other issues are affordable healthcare, insurance coverage, and immigrant status. These are in addition to the access barriers that Spanish-speaking families already face when it comes to language preference and proficiency.
When you make translation and interpreter services available, you can begin to overcome these inequities. Translation services and bilingual medical personnel, including live interpreters, create a more positive healthcare experience for Spanish-speaking families.
Achieve Better Outcomes
Studies show there are discrepancies in receiving high-quality care due to language barriers. For example, in the United States, patients who don’t speak English have longer lengths of stay in the hospital. Meanwhile, those who have access to interpretation services are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge.
When you’re able to understand patients’ concerns and symptoms through accurate translation, you will achieve better health outcomes in your pediatric practice. Communicating properly also lessens the financial burden on everyone, including hospitals, pediatric practices, and patients.
The Anytime Pediatrics virtual care solution allows you to connect with your Spanish-speaking patients and their families from anywhere. To learn more about the benefits of translation services, contact us today!
