Improving provider communication is critical to delivering effective care for individuals with limited language proficiency and those who are deaf and hard of hearing. The Joint Commission in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights recently released a video demonstrating the importance of providing culturally competent health care to meet the needs of diverse populations.
The US Census Bureau notes that 47 million people speak a language other than English and more than 28 million people have some form of hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Health care organizations and providers face challenges in the use of interpreters, translated materials and in caring for an increasingly aging population with possible hearing loss needs.
The video identifies effective and alternative communication strategies and highlights the importance of relevant civil rights legislation, federal and accreditation standards pertaining to language access, in addition to the rights of patients.
Central to the concept of cultural competency is, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that recognizes equality of health care and services and mandates that all persons regardless of race, color or national origin will not be discriminated against. Failure to provide language access services to Limited English Proficient persons (LEP) for federally funded programs is a form of discrimination. Likewise, similar standards apply under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which protects the rights of individuals with disabilities.
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