Improving Patient Care with Video Remote Interpretation
As health care providers, we strive to deliver the best possible care to our patients. However, a significant yet oftentimes unnecessary obstacle to effective care are language barriers. Patients who speak a language other than English may struggle to communicate with their health care providers, leading to misunderstandings, delays in care, and even misdiagnosis.
Studies undertaken by interpreter service, Voyce, a partner of the AHA, gathered compelling data from hospitals across North America who tested new ways to communicate with non-English speaking patients. The projects aimed to transition hospitals from primarily using over-the-phone and in-person medical interpretation to video remote medical interpretation.
The studies found that video remote interpretation not only drove greater patient satisfaction but also increases staff satisfaction. At St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener, patients who saw a smiling face speaking a familiar language were 80% less anxious about their care; additionally, Voyce’s services led to a 65% reduction in interpreter connection time. At Hamilton Health Sciences, 98% of staff said they’d prefer to use Voyce’s video remote interpretation service over an in-person interpreter. Data collected from utilization is now being leveraged to provide insight into hospitals’ patient and newcomer patient populations, helping inform the development of EDI strategies at organizations of all sizes.
Voyce also found that integrating video remote interpretation with Electronic Health Record (EHR) platforms like Epic helped reduce patient care times for staff facing language barriers. With language barriers no longer a concern, staff can provide more efficient and effective care to their patients.
These results highlight the importance of embracing digital transformation in health care; using primarily video remote interpretation to increase patient and staff satisfaction and improve access to health care services for all patients.
If you are interested in learning more about Voyce and how they can help improve access to health care services for your patients, please contact Danny Chang, Director of Partnerships, at danny.chang@voyceglobal.com.
Thank you for your continued dedication to providing the best possible care to your patients.
