A healthcare interpreter training program for bilingual hospital staff: Pilot evaluation and outcomes

This study reports on the outcomes evaluation of a regional pilot training program on medical interpretation for hospital bilingual hospital staff, allowing them to serve in dual roles within their working units. The program modified and used a pre-validated curriculum based on national best practices and employed a collaborative model adopted from the University of Wisconsin. The curriculum included principals of medical interpretation and cultural competency, offered using interactive case-based discussions, videotapes, role-playing and interviewing skills. The program was piloted in a consortium of hospitals in three regions through three 8-hour trainings in each region along with necessary educational tools and resources and a listserv for discussion and trouble shooting. To measure the pilot's effectiveness and evaluate its outcomes, feedback from site coordinators and trained staff were collected through assessments, reports and surveys. Data was collected at the end of each session and for six months following the trainings and included feedback on the session's method of teaching and outcomes (pre- and post-training knowledge tests), effectiveness of the resources, routine tracking and reporting of interpretations provided by trained staff, and satisfaction surveys of providers, patients and interpreters. The findings documented the trainees' improved medical interpretation knowledge/skills, recorded the interpretations provided post trainings, and measured the staff, provider and patient feedback/satisfaction. The findings also documented reduced hospital cost of telephonic language services post program implementation. Long term plans are to use lessons learned form this pilot and create standard training structure and statewide regional capacity for ongoing training of medical interpreters.