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"Her husband doesn't speak much English": conducting a family meeting with an interpreter
Yael Schenker1, Alexander K Smith, Robert M Arnold
1Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. schenkery@upmc.edu
Abstract:
A growing percentage of critically ill patients and their families in the United States speak limited English. We present the case of a palliative care consult conducted across language barriers to frame a discussion about the use of interpreters for family meetings, including the evidence for using a professional interpreter, the burden experienced by interpreters involved in end-of-life discussions, potential challenges encountered when conducting a family meeting with an interpreter, and recommended best practices for interpreter use in these settings.
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