Week 2 discussion NSG 4410 course

Sample Answer

In my nursing practicum experience, I encountered a 78-year-old Hispanic woman who had been admitted with a diabetic foot. My preceptor and I admitted the patient to the medical-surgical unit, and the preceptor instructed me to start preparing the patient for discharge by providing appropriate health education.

The patient had limited English proficiency. Thus, I requested an official translator. Using an official translator when educating patients on diabetes self-management was appropriate for this patient.

This is because the purpose of the interpreter is to provide the most accurate, unbiased translation of information between the patient and provider. Besides, professional interpreters are the best option for assisting in medical interpretation rather than using a patient’s family members.

I informed the patient that I would be seeking assistance from the hospital’s official translator so that she could understand what I would teach her and mitigate language barriers that would cause a communication breakdown.

However, I did not assess if the patient had understood the discharge instructions and the degree to which she retained information on self-care management.

Besides, I did not obtain consent from the patient to use a translator, which is vital since the patient may fail to trust or be comfortable around someone she does not know well or has interacted with before (Habib et al., 2023).

The patient would have had more trust when communicating sensitive health matters with someone she is familiar with. In a different situation, I would have obtained patient consent to use a translator for patient education.

Besides, I would have assured the patient that the translator would uphold the confidentiality of her health information to promote trust and encourage more patient interaction (Kwan et al., 2023).

Lastly, I would have asked the translator to instruct the patient to mention what she has learned in her own words to assess her level of comprehension.

References

• Habib, T., Nair, A., Von Pressentin, K., Kaswa, R., & Saeed, H. (2023). Do not lose your patient in translation Using interpreters effectively in primary care. South African Family Practice Official Journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care, 65(1), e1–e5. https //doi.org/10.4102/safp.v65i1.5655
  
• Kwan, M., Jeemi, Z., Norman, R., & Dantas, J. A. R. (2023). Professional interpreter services and the impact on hospital care outcomes an integrative review of literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6), 5165. https //doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065165