Creating a Tool to Assess Interpretive Services Perceptions at a Hospital System Level

Area of Science:

• Healthcare communication
• Medical informatics
• Patient advocacy

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP).
• Professional interpretive services (IS) are vital for bridging language barriers.
• Existing tools for evaluating IS from bedside providers' perspectives are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a standardized tool for assessing healthcare providers' views on interpretive services.
• To identify key factors influencing the use and effectiveness of IS in a pediatric hospital setting.
• To create a concise questionnaire for evaluating IS knowledge, attitudes, utilization, and barriers.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative approach combining literature review and local data collection.
• Development of an anonymous electronic survey for physicians and nursing staff.
• Exploratory factor analysis to identify key factors and refine the survey instrument.
• Validation of a simplified 14-question questionnaire with high reliability (Pearson correlation coefficients ≥ 0.9).

Main Results:

• Seven key factors influencing IS were identified through initial analysis.
• A revised, simplified 14-question questionnaire was developed.
• The revised tool demonstrated high reliability and validity for assessing IS-related aspects.
• The survey effectively captures provider knowledge, attitudes, utilization, and perceived barriers.

Conclusions:

• A validated, brief questionnaire can reliably assess hospital staff's engagement with interpretive services.
• This tool enables hospitals to identify specific areas for intervention to enhance IS.
• Implementing this assessment can lead to improved healthcare delivery for LEP patients.