Search

Many Alabamian Latinos/as/x experience limited English proficiency (LEP), creating a barrier to health care. Providers regularly work with medical interpreters to aid patients with LEP. This article brings the Alabama providers' perceptions of working with medical interpreters to light and examines strategies to improve care for patients with LEP. Objectives: Sixty-three percent of Latinos/as/x in Alabama, speak English "not well" or "not at all." Effective provider–patient communication is the foundation of successful clinical interactions. Medical interpretation is important to the healthcare provision for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). We examined Alabama providers' perceptions of working with medical interpreters to identify strategies to improve healthcare provision for LEP patients. Methods: We conducted nine semistructured qualitative interviews with primary healthcare providers in western Alabama. We used NVivo to conduct thematic coding and content analysis. Results: Of the nine providers, one self-identified as Latina and the others identified as White. Four participants worked in community clinics and five worked at university-based clinics. Four themes emerged: preference for in-person interpreters over technology-based interpretation; providers' perceptions and expectations of the roles of professional interpreters; challenges in the communication process; and use of family members or other ad hoc interpreters. Conclusions: To meet the needs of Latino/a/x communities, clinical settings should invest in adequate staffing of in-person interpreters, infrastructure and workflow improvements, and the hiring and training of polylingual providers. Capacity-building opportunities to establish team building between interpreters and providers could be useful tools in improving healthcare provision for LEP patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]