Cross Cultural Health Perspectives - Essay Example

Four issues will be investigated: The best practice among a range of options in medical language interpretation, legal responsibilities in providing that services, CLAS standards seen in the case, and your role in a similar situation in the future.The best option in providing medical language interpretation is to hire a qualified medical interpreter. This means that the person is trained and is on-hand right away. Outsourcing from an agency also works, but interpreters might not be available at all times.

A microphone helps by allowing these interpreters to speak on the phone with the patient and the healthcare provider at the same time.There are three less ideal options to choose from if a professional interpreter is not available: a.) Bilingual hospital staff, b.) community volunteers and c.) Family members and friends. None of these people are trained to be professional medical interpreters. Issues of time management, confidentiality and objectivity may arise when using these people.The legal responsibility of an organization to provide qualified language interpretation comes from Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states, “No person in the United States shall, on ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (Office of Minority Health, 2005).

This entails providing meaningful access to services even if the patient cannot speak English.Other legal responsibilities are dependent upon the state or the institution. For example, JCAHO Standard RI.2.100 “requires that organizations ensure effective communication between the patient and the organization through the provision of interpreter and translation services. The standards also require the collection of race, ethnicity, and language data” (as cited in Office of Minority Health, 2005).