When Only Family Is Available to Interpret.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2019
Identifier
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2018-3700
Abstract
When caring for patients and families who do not speak English, medical interpreters are necessary. Sometimes, our patients' families speak languages or dialects for which no in-person or video or phone interpreter can be found. If a family member is bilingual, the members of the medical team must make a difficult choice. Is it better to use a family member as translator or to not be able to communicate at all? In this article, we present the case of a critically ill patient with complicated pathophysiology whose family speaks a rare Guatemalan dialect for which no medical interpreters can be identified.
Journal Title
Pediatrics
Volume
143
Issue
4
MeSH Keywords
Clinical Decision-Making; Communication Barriers; Critical Illness; Family; Female; Guatemala; Heart Defects, Congenital; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Prenatal Diagnosis; Risk Assessment; Translations; United States
Keywords
Clinical Decision-Making; Communication Barriers; Critical Illness; Family; Female; Guatemala; Heart Defects, Congenital; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Prenatal Diagnosis; Risk Assessment; Translations; United States
Recommended Citation
Turnbull J, Arenth J, Payne K, Lantos JD, Fanning J. When Only Family Is Available to Interpret. Pediatrics. 2019;143(4):e20183700. doi:10.1542/peds.2018-3700
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