Nurses’ Concerns and Practices With Using Interpreters in the Care of Latino Patients in the Emergency Department

Abstract

This phenomenological study aimed to describe nursing care of Latinos in the emergency department to determine how care is planned relative to the patient’s ethnicity, including linguistic abilities. Unstructured interviews were conducted with 15 registered nurses from four hospitals in the Northwest. Interpreters play a pivotal role in nurses’ practices. Nurses’ skills with working with interpreters, interpreter availability, engagement, and accuracy enhance or impede effective care. Linguistic differences challenge effective care provision. Culturally competent care requires secure avenues of accurate communication. Administrators must provide nurses with resources that promote culturally competent care, including training with interpreters to facilitate effective communication.