Poster 15 – Dance Dance Interpretation: Exploring Relational Work in Interpreter-Mediated Primary Care

Presenter:
Bryan Hemingway

Authors:
Bryan Hemingway, Debra Russell, Laura Nimmon

Poster Abstract:
Navigating the patient-practitioner relationship is always a complicated dance, but what happens when patients and practitioners do not use the same signed or spoken language and an interpreter is used? How does this three-person dance between patient, practitioner, and interpreter affect relational work with patients?

Far from a simple language transfer mechanism, the addition of healthcare interpreters adds considerable complexity in navigating relational work between patient and practitioners. Yet, little research has explored the complexities of navigating patient-practitioner relationships and interpreter-mediated interactions. As a result, patients from minority language communities may be excluded from the health promoting benefits of high-quality patient-practitioner relationships as the lack of research forces healthcare interpreters and healthcare providers alike to guess at best practice. My research explores this gap in research using the lived experience of Accredited Medical Sign Language Interpreters.

My poster presentation will draw on my in progress research, which is guided by post-intentional phenomenology, to outline key contextual, interpersonal, and interprofessional considerations necessary for preparing healthcare providers to navigate this complex three-person relational dance. Additionally, in my poster presentation, I will orientate participants to the complex nuances of interpretation in healthcare provision and health education research. As a result, participants will be better prepared to support health professionals in providing higher quality relational care to minority language users who use interpreters

Key words: interpretation, sign language, patient-relationships

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