First National Standards of Practice for Health Care Interpreters
<p>For the first time, national standards of practice for health care interpreters have been established in the United States. With support from The Commonwealth Fund and The California Endowment, the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care developed guidelines to improve the quality and consistency of interpreting in hospitals, health plans, and other medical settings.<br /><br />Quality health care depends on clear communication, and studies have shown that language barriers contribute to disparities in the care received by patients with limited English proficiency. The new standards will help providers meet the needs of these patients. In addition to their use in health care interpreter training, hiring, and performance evaluation, the standards could serve as the basis for a certification process to assess interpreters' qualifications.<br /><br />To learn more about the standards of practice and to obtain a copy, visit the <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=19534&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Ftools%2Ftools%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D318839%26%23doc318839">Fund Web site.</a></p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2005/nov/first-national-standards-of-practice-for-health-care-interpreters