Interpreter use in sustained nurse home visiting: interpreter experience and support

Area of Science:

• Healthcare interpreter services
• Child and family health nursing
• Culturally and linguistically diverse populations

Background:

• Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families with limited English proficiency face challenges accessing child and family health nursing (CFHN) services.
• Healthcare interpreters play a crucial role in bridging communication gaps between CALD families and healthcare providers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the experiences of healthcare interpreters working with child and family health nurses (CFHNs).
• To develop, implement, and evaluate a training and practice support model for interpreters in CFHN and sustained nurse home visiting (SNHV) programs.

Main Methods:

• Mixed methods longitudinal research design involving surveys, field notes, and focus groups with 24 healthcare interpreters.
• Quantitative data analyzed descriptively; qualitative data thematically analyzed using a socioecological framework.
• Study conducted across three local health services in Sydney, Australia.

Main Results:

• Pre-training themes highlighted interpreters as communication facilitators, bridges between clients and practitioners, and comfort providers.
• Implementation faced barriers including system issues and COVID-19.
• Post-implementation themes revealed system-related issues, interpreter challenges, nurse collaboration, and client session dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Quality interpreting is enhanced by adequate session time, pre/post-briefings, appropriate interpretation modes, and consistent interpreter allocation.
• Assigning female interpreters and the same interpreter to CALD mothers improved communication quality.
• Clear interpreter roles and cultural comfort are vital for effective CFHN and SNHV service delivery to CALD mothers.