The use of multiple languages in a technology-based intervention study: A discussion paper

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Health Disparities
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Increasing racial/ethnic diversity in the U.S. necessitates multilingual approaches in nursing research.
• Technology is increasingly used in health research, particularly for intervention studies.
• Practical challenges of multilingual, technology-based nursing research are under-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify practical issues encountered in a technology-based intervention study involving multiple languages.
• Focus on Asian American breast cancer survivors to understand specific challenges.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of memos and records from a large-scale technology-based breast cancer intervention study.
• Line-by-line coding of individual words to extract practical issues.

Main Results:

• Six key themes of practical issues were identified.
• Challenges included recruiting/retaining bilingual staff, ensuring translation consistency and equivalence, IRB modifications, using existing translations, and technological aspects of electronic multilingual versions.

Conclusions:

• Multilingual technology-based intervention studies are feasible in nursing research.
• Effective management strategies are crucial to address unforeseen challenges in such studies.