Table 3 Study findings and recommendations
From: Communication in the neonatal ICU for Spanish speaking parents: a qualitative interview study
Study Finding | Related Theme | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
Parents received information primarily from nurses | Information Accessibility | Improving parent to nurse communication should be prioritized when parents have LEP |
LEP hindered parental abilities to learn about their baby, ask questions and express concerns, particularly when updates were provided in English | Information Accessibility | Regularly scheduled updates with an interpreter should occur. Parents should be provided a way to inform staff that they have questions, even when an interpreter is not present |
Parents had difficulty obtaining information remotely and were more likely to receive information when present in the NICU | Information Accessibility | Units should implement a way parents can remotely request updates from the medical team with an interpreter at all hours |
Parents desired access to more bilingual providers to avoid delays in communication and miscommunication related to interpreter use | Perspectives About Interpreters | Hiring and training bilingual providers should be prioritized. If bilingual providers are not available, the use of ad hoc interpreters should be discouraged. The teach back method should be used to ensure adequate communication with interpreter use |
Parents experienced negative emotional consequences related to their LEP | Emotional Consequences | Medical teams should default to using the parent’s preferred language regardless of perceived English fluency. Units should standardize how parental preferred language is determined. The need for an interpreter should be reevaluated throughout a hospital stay if the use of an interpreter is initially declined by the parent |