Multilingual Services’ Role in Enhancing Patient Experience in Diverse Communities
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Multilingual Services’ Role in Enhancing Patient Experience in Diverse Communities
I n our increasingly multicultural world, language has emerged as a key driver of healthcare quality and access. Millions of Canadians and other North American residents who speak English as a second language, or not at all, often feel like outsiders navigating an alien system. Misunderstandings, frustration, and isolation are not uncommon. Multilingual services are helping to change that. Language barriers limit access to care, prevent diagnoses, and lead to poorer outcomes. Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) are more likely to experience medication errors, miss preventive services, and misunderstand treatment plans. These are not simply inconveniences. They represent a serious and unacceptable gap in patient safety and equity. Carenet Health and Momentive research found that 34.5% of surveyed US patients reported poor customer support due to language barriers.
The good news is that a solution exists: a multilingual and culturally responsive health care system. Services with language access are about more than just translation. They build trust, safety, and dignity back into the patient experience. Leading healthcare organizations are implementing models that include in-person, over-the-phone, and video remote interpretation services. Translated materials like consent forms, prescriptions, and health education resources are also increasingly available. This helps patients to understand their conditions, make informed decisions, and feel confident in the care they receive.
Multilingual pharmacy services play a critical role in making health care inclusive and effective. For example, Smile Pharmacy provides language assistance for appointments in English, Spanish, and Portuguese to ensure patients understand dosage instructions, potential side effects, and medication interactions. Without this support, a simple misunderstanding about medication can quickly turn into a serious medical event.
Multilingual services also help to alleviate the emotional burden and distress patients may experience when they don’t feel seen or heard by the system. Speaking one’s own language is an important piece of feeling in control and empowered as a patient. But it’s also a basic safety and care quality issue. Too many patients have stories of feeling disempowered and isolated when they couldn’t express their health concerns in English. In the real world, these kinds of solutions can have an immediate and powerful impact. A Spanish-speaking woman was able to accurately describe her symptoms to a bilingual pharmacist, preventing a major medication error. A Portuguese-speaking senior was given clear instructions about diabetes management, leading to better outcomes and more confidence.
Artificial intelligence-driven technology is helping to democratize the reach of language-inclusive healthcare. Automated translation tools are now available for scheduling systems, phone support lines, and even clinical documentation and notes. Translation applications and multilingual chatbots can also greatly enhance the patient experience — particularly in telehealth scenarios. That said, technology should be a force multiplier for — not a substitute for — qualified interpreters.
While these examples are promising, challenges and gaps remain. Many organizations lack the budget or staff to provide comprehensive language services. Some institutions still use family members to help patients fill out forms or translate conversations, creating privacy and confidentiality concerns and risking poor communication. Apps and online translation services still lack the accuracy and cultural fluency needed for complex medical interactions. These are problems that must be solved, not excuses for inaction. Government regulations like the U.S. Civil Rights Act (Title VI) require that all healthcare communication must be accessible for patients using federally funded health programs. The federal standards for CLAS in Canada also provide a mandate to ensure healthcare equity and accessibility.
So what’s next? Healthcare providers can take steps to create best practices in this space. Training all staff on cultural and linguistic competence, hiring multilingual staff, engaging certified interpreters and translators, and incorporating tools into clinical systems are all great places to start. From patient intake forms that record preferred language to care instructions translated into multiple languages, CLAS guidelines offer a proven foundation for these initiatives.
Canada’s population is only going to become more diverse with time, and the time to invest in these solutions is now. Healthcare is always better when it meets patients where they are in terms of the language they speak and the culture they come from. Better still, it’s a smarter and safer way to provide care. In a system that wants to be equitable, every patient should feel seen, heard, and understood.
References:
https://smilerxnj.com/multilingual-services/
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