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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Gus E. Turner, MPH(c), Department of Emergency Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, 1645 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, Michael A. DeGuzman, MPH, Emergency Service Physicians, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, 1645 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, 404-785-7209, michael.deguzman@choa.org, and Harold K. Simon, MD, MBA, Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 1405 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322.

Healthcare providers face difficulties in treating patients with whom they cannot communicate properly, especially when language barriers exist. Solutions developed to address this human rights public health issue include the recent emergence of computer-aided translation. Investigators were interested in understanding the viability of such systems in the clinical setting.

VISTA (Voice-enabled Interactive Spanish Translation Aid) is a computer program designed to assist healthcare providers' communication with Spanish-speaking patients. VISTA uses digitally-recorded questions in a yes/no decision-tree structure. After each response, the healthcare provider can select from a comprehensive menu further driving patient assessment.

Twenty-six urban and rural healthcare providers consisting of doctors, nurses, community advocates, and translation/interpretation professionals participated in three moderated focus groups in order to assess the feasibility and utility of the VISTA program created at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Participants shared their professional roles and experiences in serving their Spanish-speaking patients. Then participants watched a video of a mock-encounter between a Spanish-speaking patient and a non-Spanish speaking doctor utilizing VISTA. A discussion focusing on the strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for the VISTA application followed. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed.

Results indicate an eagerness for new solutions in caring for patients with language barriers. However, analysis shows significant concerns about the suitability of VISTA in assisting physicians in diagnosing and treating patients. Additional results support adapting VISTA for more appropriate use in non-diagnostic and pre-treatment care. Furthermore, this investigation provided an opportunity to explore the balance between health rights, translation innovations, healthcare access, and quality of care issues.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to

• Describe language barriers in the healthcare setting as a human rights, access to care and public health issue.
• Name the components of VISTA.
• Identify three main conclusions related to the viability of VISTA.

Keywords: Access to Care, New Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered