Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
14:34
A Bilingual Computational Workflow for Identifying Potential PLK1 Inhibitors in American Sign Language and English
Published on: April 3, 2026
Interpreters as co-diagnosticians: overlapping roles and services between providers and interpreters
1University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA. ehsieh@ou.edu <ehsieh@ou.edu>
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|November 28, 2006
Summary
Medical interpreters sometimes act as co-diagnosticians, adopting strategies like assuming provider goals and volunteering information. This practice, while bridging cultural gaps, poses risks to patient privacy and clinical outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Medical Communication
- Sociolinguistics
- Healthcare Ethics
Background:
- Medical interpreters play a crucial role in healthcare settings.
- Their practice often extends beyond direct interpretation, involving complex communicative behaviors.
- The co-diagnostician role, where interpreters influence diagnosis, is not well-understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the co-diagnostician role of medical interpreters.
- To explore the practical, institutional, and ethical implications of this role.
- To identify specific communicative strategies employed by interpreters in this capacity.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving 26 professional interpreters, 4 patients, and 12 healthcare providers.
- Participant observation and interviews conducted in the Midwestern US.
- Constant comparative analysis to identify themes in interpreters' practices.
Main Results:
- Interpreters identified as members of the healthcare team, justifying their actions.
- Five co-diagnostician strategies were identified: assuming provider goals, editorializing information, initiating information-seeking, participating in diagnostics, and volunteering medical information.
- These strategies aim to improve efficiency and cultural bridging but carry risks.
Conclusions:
- Interpreters' co-diagnostician role is influenced by healthcare social hierarchies and a focus on diagnostic efficacy.
- While beneficial for efficiency and cultural understanding, these practices introduce risks to patient privacy, clinical outcomes, and provider-patient relationships.
- Further research and ethical guidelines are needed to address the complexities of the interpreter's co-diagnostician role.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
An interdisciplinary team includes many healthcare professionals working together and utilizing their skills, knowledge, and expertise to provide holistic and quality patient care. Here are a few more healthcare professionals.
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
An interdisciplinary team includes many healthcare professionals working together and utilizing their skills, knowledge, and expertise to provide holistic and quality patient care.
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
01:25Role of Communication in the Nursing Process I: Assessment and Diagnosis
The nursing process uses scientific reasoning, problem-solving, and critical thinking to guide nurses in providing patients with appropriate care. This process is a systematic approach to recognize, avoid, and treat current or potential health issues while promoting the patient's well-being.
The nursing process considers the patient's emotional and physical well-being. The process can be repeated or stopped at any point if judged essential. Assessment is the first step in the nursing process.
The nursing process considers the patient's emotional and physical well-being. The process can be repeated or stopped at any point if judged essential. Assessment is the first step in the nursing process.
01:25Role of Communication in the Nursing Process II: Planning and Implementation
Several factors are considered while creating a patient's care plan. Motivation is a factor in improving communication, and patients often require encouragement to try different approaches involving significant change. It is essential to involve the patient and family in decisions about the plan of care to determine whether the suggested methods are acceptable. Consider meeting critical comfort and safety needs before introducing new communication methods and techniques. Allow adequate time for...
01:08Role of Communication in the Nursing Process III: Evaluation and Documentation
A successful patient outcome depends mainly on the evaluation stage of the nursing process. Evaluation determines effectiveness by reviewing what was done previously after the completion of nursing interventions. Every time a healthcare professional steps in or administers treatment, they must reassess or evaluate the action to ensure the intended result. During the evaluation phase, there are three probable patient outcomes:
01:15Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
The case management model is a multidisciplinary approach that involves healthcare professionals from diverse disciplines, such as physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, and pharmacists, working collaboratively to address the various needs of patients. Each healthcare professional brings unique expertise and perspectives, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the patient's condition and tailoring treatment plans accordingly.
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...