title: Interpreter services in healthcare. Policy recommendations for healthcare agencies.
abstract: The author discusses the need for interpreter services for delivering effective healthcare in a country such as Canada, which is made up of people from diverse ethnocultural and linguistic backgrounds. As well as examining the complexity of allocation decisions and policy implementation, the author proposes policy recommendations for healthcare agencies to set up an integrated system of interpreter services based on cost-effective and equitable use of finite resources and partnership between agencies.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. sytang@interchange.ubc.ca
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003144:Communication Barriers; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005006:Ethnicity; D005190:Family; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D014175:Translating