Hi!
        Our hospital's Diversity Committee recently polled the nursing
staff about cultural issues.  The committee discovered that the majority
of problems involved communication barriers.  Many nurses stated that the
translation services available at our hospital are inadequate.  We have a
list of hospital employees who can serve as translators, but apparently,
it is difficult to track one down when they are needed.  Also, there is
some kind of paperwork hurdle involving charging the tranlator's time to
the nursing unit.  I would be interested in knowing how this is handled
in other hospitals.  Does anyone know of books or looseleaf materials
with translated medical phrases in languanges such as Vietnamese, Hmong,
Ukranian, Russian and Middle Eastern languages?   We are a 300-bed
community hospital in a Seattle suburb.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Barbara Ivester                        [log in to unmask]
Valley Medical Center Library          (206)251-5194
400 South 43rd St.                     Fax: (206)575-2593
Renton, WA  98055