This document discusses a study that examined the impact of interpreter-provider communication on medical encounters. The researchers assessed the degree of empathy that healthcare providers felt toward interpreters using a novel measure based on the Jefferson Scale of Empathy. Providers averaged a lower empathy score than interpreters, indicating a more empathetic attitude. There were also wider variations in interpreters' responses about their role compared to providers. The researchers suggest developing national guidelines or certifications for medical interpreters to improve interpreter-provider communication and ultimately patient-provider communication.

1. TITLE: Empathy, Interpreters, and Patient-Provider Communication
PRIMARY AUTHOR: TOYIN L. OLA
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR: KAYLA CAMPBELL
ABSTRACT: Research has shown that health outcomes can suffer when there is linguistic
discordance between healthcare providers and patients. The usage of medical interpreters is one
seemingly obvious solution to remedy this issue, but adding another individual can complicate a
communicative event. The present study wishes to explore the impact of interpreter-provider
communication on medical encounters. Given that empathy is a key variable in Health
Communication, the present study assed the degree of empathy that a sample of providers felt
toward interpreters. A novel measure patterned after the HP version of the Jefferson Scale of
Empathy was disseminated to both providers and interpreters, with each group receiving items
worded to reflect their respective points of view. The provider sample averaged a lower numeric
Empathy Score than the interpreter sample, where a lower numeric score indicated a more
empathetic attitude. Based on the widely varying scores achieved in the item-by-item analysis,
there seem to be fewer consensuses among interpreters about the nature of their role compared to
providers. The researchers suggest that nationally-recognized regulatory guidelines or
certifications should exist for medical interpreters in order to avoid confusion about interpreters’
role and improve interpreter-providers communication—and patient-provider communication by
extension.
KEYWORDS: patient-provider communication; empathy; interdisciplinary teamwork; medical
interpreters; interpreter-provider communication