Getting the message across-professional interpreters in general practice

Area of Science:

• Medical communication
• Healthcare accessibility
• General practice research

Background:

• Quality standards recommend professional interpreters over family members in medical settings.
• Professional interpreter use and barriers/facilitators were documented in local general practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utilization of professional interpreters in general practices.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to professional interpreter use.
• To assess awareness of interpreting services among general practitioners.

Main Methods:

• Two surveys were conducted in September 2006.
• Practices were surveyed via phone interviews.
• General practitioners completed written questionnaires during training sessions.

Main Results:

• Professional interpreter use was found to be uncommon in general practices.
• Over two-thirds of practices never used the Doctors Priority Line phone interpreting service.
• Family members were frequently used as interpreters, often preferred by GPs.

Conclusions:

• Relevant standards for interpreter use are often not understood or implemented.
• Low utilization of professional interpreters and services like the Doctors Priority Line was observed.
• GPs' preference for family interpreters highlights a challenge in adopting professional services.