Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Overcoming Language Barriers

Providing quality care for patients with limited English proficiency can be challenging, even for large health care systems. Each year Vidant Health, a regional health system serving eastern North Carolina, logs more than 24,000 distinct patient encounters with a primary language other than English. Along with employing on-site interpreters, the health system has used phone and video interpretation to access 45 spoken languages, plus American Sign Language; Spanish accounts for more than 90 percent of requested language services. In 2011, Vidant Health conducted a comprehensive self-assessment among its leaders to identify gaps and opportunities in delivering language services. Based on this assessment, health system leaders developed a single, systemwide language assistance strategy and established a patient-centered communication task force. The task force is developing and implementing new language assistance standards and addressing recommendations. Each facility now has appointed a language services contact to coordinate language services and facilitate access to all interpreter services. Systemwide changes include developing a policy for patient communication, establishing video interpretation standards and a centralized process for document translation and creating and distributing a language services tool kit that includes signs and forms in Spanish, language ID cards and other language support materials.
For more information, contact Beth Anne Atkins, corporate communications, at beth.atkins@vidanthealth.com.