Take Action - Patient-Provider Communication

Advance your organization delivery of culturally competent care through improved language access services by following these actions steps.

Consider offering patient information in multiple languages (CLAS Standard 7). Offer appointment scheduling instructions, contact information for 24-hour phone medical advice, pharmacy label and medication instructions, emergency services instructions, patient guides to common tests and procedures, provider and specialty care directories, consent forms, newsletters, marketing materials and information about patient advocates in multiple languages.

How to Work Effectively with Interpreters. Learn how to effectively communicate with patients of Limited English Proficiency through an interpreter (CLAS Standard 6). The Interpreting Stakeholder Group, a committee of the Upper Midwest Translators and Interpreters Association has developed a toolkit aimed at providing techniques for working effectively with interpreters.

Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance. Minnesota community health workers come from the communities they serve, working at the grassroots level building trust and vital relationships which make them effective culture brokers between their own communities and systems of care. community health workers reduce cultural and linguistic barriers to health care, improve quality and cost effectiveness of care, and increase the number of health care workers who come from diverse backgrounds or underserved communities.

Notice: Free Interpreter Services Are Available. Provide information regarding the availability of interpreters to patients free of charge (CLAS Standards 4 and 5). The notice includes translations in 10 languages, including Hmong, Lao, Russian, Somali, and Spanish. Minnesota Department of Human Services. (1-page PDF)

“Teach Back” Method (CLAS Standard 6). Ensure patient understanding of medical instructions using the teach back method. Check patient's understanding of medical instructions by asking them to repeat in their own words what they need to do when they leave the office. If a patient is not able to repeat the information accurately, try to re-phrase the information, rather than just repeat it. Pfizer Clear Health Communication Initiative.

Provide patients with information on how to navigate the US health care system (CLAS Standard 7). Given the complexities of the US health care system, patients from diverse populations may not understand how to access care, how to pay for care, and how to ask for help. Two local sources for such information include:

• Minnesota Department of Health’s Healthcare Guide for Refugees in Minnesota (99-page PDF)
• University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing – Taking Charge of Your Health Web site