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 Vol. 9 No. 4, April 2003
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AAP Grand Rounds 9:42-43 (2003)
© 2003 American Academy of Pediatrics

COMMUNITY PEDIATRICS

Errors in Medical Interpretation: Common and Consequential

Source: Flores G, Laws MB, Mayo SJ, et al. Errors in medical interpretation and their potential clinical consequences in pediatric encounters. Pediatrics. 2003;111:6–14.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Language barriers are known to affect access to care, utilization of services, and the outcomes of care. With 45 million people in the United States speaking a language other than English, and 19 million of these limited in English proficiency (LEP), the potential impact of language differences may be great. Other studies have shown that ad hoc interpreters (family members or health care workers untrained in medical interpretation) commit many errors.1,2 In this report, the authors from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Boston University, and Boston’s Latino Health Institute sought to identify the frequency and types of errors committed, their clinical consequences, and the differences in quality of interpretation between professional hospital interpreters and ad hoc interpreters.

The authors audiotaped patient visits in a pediatric outpatient clinic in which a Spanish interpreter was used. During the study period, all encounters with parents self-identified as LEP were invited to participate . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Stanley I. Fisch, MD, FAAP
Private Practice, Harlingen, TX