Three Arizona hospitals are currently serving their Spanish-speaking emergency room patients with language interpretation on a new Webcam system. A staff of translators is available 24 hours a day for medical videoconferencing.

The translation and interpretation staff is made up mainly of doctors from Spain and Mexico who are taking courses in the U.S. to obtain their medical licenses in this country. Although Spanish is now the only language interpreted and translated, the hospitals plan to add more languages and even services for the deaf.

According to April Hayes, the ED director at the Mesa, Arizona based Mountain Vista Medical Center, "This technology is a little bit more unique because the patient can actually see the interpreter and the interpreter can see the patient. We've made it to where that patient has a little more personalization."

An ED physician's assistant at Mountain Vista, Renee Little believes a Webcam is a better communication tool than speaking over the telephone. "It's hard to trust somebody you can't see. It helps them have a little more trust so maybe they'll confide a little more than they normally would," Little said.

15 September 2008