LM308 - The Perils of Using Untrained Interpreters and Translated Materials with Spanish Speakers

Abstract:
This learning module will provide audiologists with information about considerations when working with Spanish-speaking adult patients with hearing loss. We will discuss assessment procedures, health literacy concerns, and the inclusion of interpreters in the clinical setting. Recommendations for culturally and linguistically appropriate communication and service provision with this population will also be given. Focus will be on audiologists who experience a language barrier or mismatch with their Spanish-speaking patients.

Summary:
The purpose of this learning module is to provide audiologists with information about considerations when working with Spanish-speaking adult patients. We will present information about the demographics of this population, assessment procedures, health literacy, and the use of interpreters. Results from our research in these areas will also be shared with attendees to provide evidence for our suggestions.

Despite the growing Spanish-speaking population in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), disparities around language can negatively affect service delivery and communication (Perez-Stable & El-Toukhy, 2018). Audiologists who work with these patients may also feel unprepared to effectively communicate and administer/score assessments if there is a language barrier or mismatch between them and their patients. Language barriers can contribute to health literacy concerns, and increased awareness has led to language barriers being included in the Healthy People 2030 initiatives. These barriers can ultimately decrease patient and caregiver satisfaction (Hilfinger et al., 2009). As healthcare professionals, audiologists must be able to meet the needs of all patients, which in these cases may result in the scheduling of an interpreter and/or the use and provision of written and verbal materials in other languages. In this part of the learning module, we will describe a new measure that we have developed and are piloting to assess a patient’s health literacy in Spanish that is specific to audiology and otology. Preliminary findings from this study will be shared, as well as recommendations for words and phrases to avoid when working with interpreters versus family members.

In addition to health literacy concerns with verbal communication, we will also cover written material considerations. In a previous study, we found that user guides available for Spanish-speaking patients were written at a level that was higher than the recommended 6th grade level. This part of the learning module will discuss ways to meet the recommended level and increase the readability and suitability of written materials provided to patients. Attendees will be provided with tools and resources they can use in clinical practice to provide better accessibility for their Spanish-speaking patients. We will also share recommendations for clinicians seeking to share resources and give suggestions on how to explain technical language.

Lastly, the learning module will address some general communication considerations around culture and language with Spanish-speaking patients. For example, even a simple greeting can be complicated. An informal greeting addressed to highly respected elders can be interpreted as very disrespectful. As another example, for traditional home remedies, we often begin testing by removing ruda (an herb commonly known as rue, used in Santeria for spiritual cleansing) from ear canals in the clinic. We also constantly struggle with discussing pitch, as there are no commonly used words in Spanish; “Agudo” and “Grave,” are simply not used by most Spanish speakers in the United States. The presentation will discuss similar examples and give recommendations for how to simplify language when working with patients and/or interpreters."