ArticleBMC health services research2019
Health care professional's communication through an interpreter where language barriers exist in neonatal care: a national study.
Article in BMC health services research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Associations between interpreter dependency and rehabilitation outcomes and care processes following acquired brain injury: a Swedish registry-based cohort study.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2026Article
- Discharge criteria, practices, and decision-making in the transition of preterm infants to home.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Bridging the language gap: Simulation-based education improves communication, confidence, and knowledge for emergency medicine residents working with interpreters.AEM education and training · 2025Article
- Communication across language barriers in Nordic paediatric oncology care - A cross-sectional multicentre survey with healthcare personnel.PEC innovation · 2025Article
- Lost in Translation: Impact of Language Barriers and Facilitators on the Health Care of Asian Americans Living with HIV.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2024Article
- Sociodemographic factors and family use of remote infant viewing in neonatal intensive care.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2023Article
- Prevalent practices amongst healthcare professionals in paediatric settings in using medical interpreters for families with limited national language proficiency: A narrative scoping review.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2022Article
- Beyond challenges and enrichment: a qualitative account of cross-cultural experiences of nursing patients with an ethnic minority background in Norway.BMC nursing · 2022Article
- Language barriers between nurses and patients: A scoping review.Patient education and counseling · 2021Article
- Conditions for communication between health care professionals and parents on a neonatal ward in the presence of language barriers.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2019Observational
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA number of parents in neonatal care are foreign-born and do not speak the local language, which makes communication between healthcare professionals and parents more difficult. Interpreters can be used when language barriers exist - parent interactions, medical communication and communication about the care of the child. The aim in this study was to examine healthcare professionals' use of interpreters and awareness of local guidelines for interpreted communication in neonatal care.
methodA survey was distributed to all 2109 employees at all 38 neonatal units in Sweden, thus to all physicians, registered nurses and nurse assistants in active service. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and dichotomized so the professionals were compared in groups of two using the Mantel-Haenszel Chi Square test and Fisher's Non Parametric Permutation test.
resultsThe survey was answered by 41% (n = 858) representing all neonatal units. The study showed a difference between the professional groups in awareness of guidelines, availability of interpreters, and individual resources to communicate through an interpreter. Nurse assistants significantly lesser than registered nurses (p < .0001) were aware of guidelines concerning the use of interpreters. In emergency communications nurse assistants used authorized interpreters to a significantly lesser extent than physicians (p < .0001) and registered nurses (p < .0001). Physicians used authorized interpreters to a significantly higher extent than registered nurses (p 0.006) and non-authorized interpreters to a significantly lesser extent than registered nurses (p 0.013). In planned communications, nurse assistants used authorized interpreters to a significantly lesser extent than physicians (p < .0001) and registered nurses (p < .0001). Nurse assistants rated their ability to communicate with parents through an interpreter to a significantly lesser extent than physicians (p 0.0058) and registered nurses (p 0.0026). No other significant differences were found.
conclusionThe results of the study show insufficient awareness of guidelines in all neonatal units in Sweden. Clinical implications might be to provide healthcare professionals with guidelines and training clinical skills in using interpreters and increasing the availability of interpreters by having interpreters employed by the hospital.
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