April 30, 2024Effective communication is paramount in medical settings and significantly impacts patient outcomes, satisfaction, and risk reduction. Northern Health’s diverse patient demographic, comprising of individuals from over 130 countries, speaking in more than 120 languages, underscores the necessity for robust language support.
The Transcultural and Language Services Department (TALS) provides over 60,000 interpreting occasions of service per annum. According to the statistics, approximately 20 per cent of Northern Health’s patients require language services. These services are available face-to-face, or via telephone or video.
During occasions when it is challenging to access interpreting service, cue cards, a communication tool developed to assist health professionals with patients/carers who have limited English proficiency, have been mostly used in the wards. Now, these can be replaced by accessing the Talk to Me app, a comprehensive phrase library application, offering multilingual support through text and speech interfaces. Initially developed in 2015 by St. Vincent’s Hospital, this app facilitates communication between staff and patients/residents, particularly during non-critical moments. Examples include questions around mealtimes, personal care, feelings or emotions and basic pain symptoms (e.g. ‘Are you worried?’, ‘Are you tired?’, ‘Are you in pain?’).
While AI-driven translation apps, such as Google Translate, are not recommended and carry the risk of miscommunication, the Talk to Me app has been developed by health professionals in collaboration with medical certified interpreters, cultural diversity trainers and other experts in the field, to ensure the accuracy of the translation of the phrases provided.
Incorporating the Talk to Me app into daily workflows empowers staff to bridge communication gaps swiftly during non-critical moments, enhancing patient care experiences.
The Talk to Me Progressive Web App has been added to the staff Intranet page under ‘My Favourite Links’. With over 500 phrases curated for health professionals and patient user interface, it is available in 16 languages (Arabic, Cantonese, Croatian, Dinka, Persian, Greek, Hakka, Italian, Macedonian, Mandarin, Punjabi, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese), covering a range of categories.
Besides requesting interpreting service as the best practice for addressing language barriers, the use of the “Talk to Me” app can facilitate risk-free communication with patients who have limited English proficiency.
Pictured in featured image (L-R): Christine Humphries, patient, Evie, Registered Nurse, Navneet Gill, Translations Coordinator and Andrew Grey, Bookings Team Leader.
