Abstract

Global migration continues to increase, and with it comes increasing linguistic diversity. This presents obvious challenges for both healthcare provider and patient, and the chapters in this volume represent a range of international perspectives on language barriers in health care. A variety of factors influence the best ways of approaching and overcoming these language barriers, including cultural, geographical, political and practical considerations, and as a result a range of approaches and solutions are suggested and discussed. The authors in this volume discuss a wide range of countries and languages, and cover issues that will be familiar to all healthcare practitioners, including the role of informal interpreters, interpreting in a clinical setting, bilingual healthcare practitioners and working with languages with comparatively small numbers of speakers.

Finally – all the best advice on effective communication in the context of language barriers, all in one place! Health professionals and policymakers alike will find this a useful resource for providing high quality care to diverse populations. Each chapter, authored by leading experts, offers practical guidance for doing just that.

What comes out of this research is a series of recommendations which are of particular interest. It was concluded that not only should more adequate language support be provided for the local patient demographic, but also that language awareness and an understanding of the concept of bilingualism should be introduced into healthcare education in Wales.

Elizabeth A. Jacobs is Professor of Medicine and Population Health Sciences and Associate Vice Chair for Health Services Research at the University of Madison-Wisconsin, USA.

Lisa C. Diamond is Assistant Member/Assistant Attending at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service, New York, USA.

This book is a 'must-read' for anyone interested in improving health care across linguistic barriers. In a rich array of chapters written by knowledgeable researchers and practitioners from multiple countries, Drs. Jacobs and Diamond have created a valuable resource that provides both theoretical and practical advice. A unique treasure!