Breaking down language barriers in clinical practice.
Communication is an essential component of skilled nursing-practice. As 20 per cent of Australians are born overseas and come from a non-English speaking background (NESB), effective communication becomes a challenge for nurses who do not share the same language. Nursing use of an interpreter service is an essential component of practice in a multicultural community. This was one of the findings of a two-year participatory action research study which explored the practice of nurses caring for non-English speaking families. The intention of this paper is to explore this crucial aspect of the findings; nursing use of interpreters and the strategies instigated by the nurses to work more effectively with them.
Blackford
J
J
School of Nursing, La Trobe University, Melbourne.
Street
A
A
Parsons
C
C
D001315:Australia; D003144:Communication Barriers; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015399:Nursing Research; D014175:Translating