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04 May Why a medical interpreter is so important in any healthcare centre?

For improving the services offered by any healthcare centre, the figure of a medical interpreter seems essential. A medical interpreter can provide extra assistance both to doctors – or any other medical specialist – and patients – including his/her family or friends. Why? The reason is very simple: it eases communication among all the parts that do not speak the same language. If you do not find it very clear, here are some examples listed by Okomeds that reinforce the idea and the need of a medical interpreter in any healthcare centre.

Emergency service

Many people come daily to an emergency service, the reasons are very varied but the point is that they all do not necessarily speak the official language of the country. They could be tourists, immigrants, Erasmus students… and it does not mean that they speak fluently. What to do in those cases for reaching a mutual understanding? A medical interpreter could save their lives because the patients will be able to clearly explain what had happen to them and the medical specialist will better know what to do.

Medical instructions

What drugs should the patient take? How often? Is there any special recommendation that must be taken into account? For easing communication and assuring that the patient understands all this information, a medical interpreter could be the key. If this essential figure is present at the medical consultation, he/she will assure a better final result.

Legal advise

In most cases, before any medical operation or surgery, the patient must always sign and accept some legal procedures for letting know that he/she is aware of any potential risk. Sometimes, the patient might request a medical translation of such written document, but can also rely on the medical interpreter when speaking to the doctor.

To sum up, the potential scenarios in which a medical interpreter can be needed are very different; but they all coincide that any healthcare centre should count with this figure when the situation arrives as he/she will be essential.