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- Title
Ethical Tensions in the Role of the Medical Interpreter.
- Authors
Goler, Evan; Mack, Jennifer W.
- Abstract
Medical interpreters play central roles in the care of patients with limited English proficiency, many of whom are vulnerable to challenges in care. Yet ethical tensions arise in the care of these patients, including tensions between translating with fidelity to spoken words versus ensuring understanding; supporting values of beneficence versus autonomy; reacting with passivity versus advocacy; and interacting with patients with neutrality versus compassion. These tensions reflect the commitment of interpreters featured in narratives to providing patient-centered care through challenging circumstances. Yet interpreters are often poorly supported, with low wages, multiple stressors, and vicarious trauma as a result of witnessing difficult medical encounters and interpreting during them in the first person. Interpreters should be recognized as valued, integral care team members who recognize patients as individuals deserving of the best care.
- Subjects
MEDICAL interpreters; PATIENT advocacy; PATIENT-centered care; LANGUAGE ability; VALUES (Ethics)
- Publication
Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, 2024, Vol 14, Issue 3, p189
- ISSN
2157-1732
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.1353/nib.2024.a947860