1149 Increasing access and use of interpreting services in everyday clinical practice to improve patient care

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood 2021-10, Vol.106 (Suppl 1), p.A248-A248
• Main Authors: Loganathan, Shanghavie, Quinn, Esther, Rao, Sahana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstracts; Clinical outcomes; Education; Guidelines; Limited English Speaking; Medical personnel; Pandemics; Patient-centered care; Patients; Pediatrics; Polls & surveys; Quality control
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-rcpch.431

BackgroundEffective communication is key to providing safe, high-quality clinical care. Evidence shows that in higher income countries where English is the primary language, patients with limited English proficiency have poorer clinical outcomes and compromised patient care. As the provision of equitable, patient-centred care requires active engagement with the consultation, we posit that the use of professional interpreters within this cohort would improve clinical outcomes. Informal feedback and experience within our trust suggested that the use of interpretation services was limited and improving provision could improve patient care.ObjectivesWe undertook a quality improvement (QI) project to improve the use of interpretation services in paediatrics. We set out to identify obstacles to the utilisation of services and suitable methods that would overcome them.MethodsThe initial survey was conducted in 2020 and explored the use of services and barriers. A multitude of reasons for low uptake were identified, including lack of clarity over access details, time constraints and the lack of appropriate equipment. We instituted changes based on this survey, including providing information on interpretation services. This was in the format of posters, emails, and educational sessions. The access codes and contact details required were made easily available and accessible to medical staff, nursing staff and allied health professionals. Definitive guidelines for use of interpretation services and appropriate access to phones with the necessary speaker function were also provided.ResultsAs part of the survey 19 questionnaires were completed, with 80% being completed by doctors and 20% by nurses. 100% of respondents identified situations where they felt interpretation would have been useful. Despite this, only 63% had used the service. Furthermore, only 16% used the service as part of their routine practice.This project was discussed and approved at the paediatric clinical governance meeting. Subsequent to our intervention in April 2020, we identified an increase in usage of interpretation services as highlighted in the table below. The project was supported by a trust-wide QI programme and after presentation to senior management and patient experience teams, we were able to focus on its incorporation into induction programmes. Finally, we were also able to promote the use of interpreters at regional paediatric meetings.Month January February March April May June To