Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions of Deaf-Hearing Interpreter Teams: Impact of Interpreting Approaches

Authors

Julayne Feilbach, Rochester Institute of TechnologyFollow

Abstract

This study explores the perceptions and preferences of healthcare providers who work with Deaf Interpreter-Hearing Interpreter (DI-HI) teams. Healthcare providers depend on interpreters' ability to bridge the communication and cultural gap to assess and treat patients accurately. Although there have been studies on healthcare providers’ perceptions of interpreters to date, none of the research explores the impact of healthcare providers’ perceptions on their experiences with DI-HI teams. To address this, interviews with nine healthcare practitioners were conducted. As part of the interview, participants were shown a video of two interpreting samples to illustrate different approaches to interpreting. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis, which identified three major themes: (1) co-construction of the message, (2) providers’ trust in the interpreters and the interpreting process, and (3) providers’ knowledge/need for education. Results indicate that healthcare providers prefer teams who use the community approach to interpreting (Hoza, 2021) to allow for a better understanding of patients' health literacy and the opportunity to co-construct meaning (Janzen & Shaffer, 2008; Hoza, 2021). When healthcare practitioners are aware of their patient’s level of health literacy, they can modify communication and treatment accordingly, which fosters trust and positive interpersonal experiences.

Suggested Citation

Feilbach, Julayne (2023) "Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions of Deaf-Hearing Interpreter Teams: Impact of Interpreting Approaches," Journal of Interpretation: Vol. 31: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/joi/vol31/iss1/2