Self-assessed Competency at Working with a Medical Interpreter is Not Associated with Knowledge of Good Practice

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2012 Jun 21

PMID 22715421

Citations 8

Authors

Patricia Hudelson

Thomas Perneger

Veronique Kolly

Noelle Junod Perron

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Specific knowledge and skills are needed to work effectively with an interpreter, but most doctors have received limited training. Self-assessed competency may not accurately identify training needs.

Purposes: The purpose of this study is to explore the association between self-assessed competency at working with an interpreter and the ability to identify elements of good practice, using a written vignette.

Methods: A mailed questionnaire was sent to 619 doctors and medical students in Geneva, Switzerland.

Results: 58.6% of respondents considered themselves to be highly competent at working with a professional interpreter, but 22% failed to mention even one element of good practice in response to the vignette, and only 39% could name more than one. There was no association between self-rated competency and number of elements mentioned.

Conclusions: Training efforts should challenge the assumption that working with an interpreter is intuitive. Evaluation of clinicians' ability to work with an interpreter should not be limited to self-ratings. In the context of large-scale surveys, written vignettes may provide a simple method for identifying knowledge of good practice and topics requiring further training.

Citing Articles

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Assessing Medical Student Readiness to Navigate Language Barriers in Telehealth: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

Yin L, Ng F, Rutherford-Rojas M, Williams M, Cornes S, Fernandez A JMIR Med Educ. 2022; 8(3):e36096.

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Krampe F, Fabry G, Langer T BMC Med Educ. 2022; 22(1):170.

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Healthcare Professionals' Views of Working with Medical Interpreters in a Cancer Setting: an Exploratory Study.

Martin F, Philip J, McLachlan S J Cancer Educ. 2020; 37(4):1115-1121.

PMID: 33230674 DOI: 10.1007/s13187-020-01927-7.

Health care professional's communication through an interpreter where language barriers exist in neonatal care: a national study.

Patriksson K, Wigert H, Berg M, Nilsson S BMC Health Serv Res. 2019; 19(1):586.

PMID: 31426785 PMC: 6701045. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-019-4428-z.

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