Language barriers between nurses and asylum seekers: their impact on symptom reporting and referral

Author(s) : Alexander Bischoff, Patrick A Bovier, Rrustemi Isah, Gariazzo Françoise, Eytan Ariel, Loutan Louis

Source : https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00376-3

“The objective of this study was to determine whether language barriers during the screening interview affected the reporting of asylum seekers’ health problems and their referral to further health care. Seven hundred and twenty-three standard screening questionnaires, administered by nurses to asylum-seekers at the time of entry into Geneva/Switzerland between June and December 1998, were reviewed, as well as information pertaining to language use during the interview. Language concordance between nurses and asylum seekers was assessed by considering the presence/absence of an interpreter, the type of interpreter present (trained, untrained), and the nurse’s self-assessed proficiency in the language used during the medical interview. Nurses also recorded their own subjective assessment of the overall quality of communication during the interview.“

 

Keywords: Language barriers, Asylum seekers, Migrant health, Interpreters, Switzerland