CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale

Interpreter service helps patients, health professionals overcome language barriers

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

If you speak limited French and you need help communicating with staff at a hospital or public clinic anywhere in the region, help is available. The Banque d’interprètes du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux (Health and Social Services Network interpreter bank) provides free interpretation at health facilities in more than 60 languages, including English. The CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale is trying to make the bank better known, after Santé Québec data suggested it was being underused by the English-speaking community.

Stéphanie Fiset, assistant establishment director at Jeffery Hale–Saint Brigid’s (JHSB), explained that when a communication issue arises at a hospital or clinic, a health professional can request an interpreter via an app. “There is still training to be done” to ensure all health professionals know how and when to use the bank, she said. However, the tools are in place, and facilities with a particularly large immigrant clientele, such as the Jeffery Hale refugee clinic, are used to using them.

Requests are made by a health professional on a secure online platform; they fill out a form explaining what the interpreter needs to do and whether they need to be present in person, over the phone or via videoconference. Although patients and caregivers can’t make a request themselves, they can ask the professional to make a request on their behalf.

Requests are made in advance of an appointment when possible, and about 70 per cent are in person. “We’re working on finding alternatives for situations [such as emergencies] when we can’t have an interpreter present quickly,” Fiset said. Strict requirements around data security mean AI and other technological tools need to be carefully considered before implementation. “We need to ensure that we use [technology] in the right way, at the right time and for the right reasons.”

In the past, Fiset added, health professionals didn’t necessarily ask for an interpreter when they came up against a language barrier, especially when the patient was English-speaking. “We say, ‘I listen to my shows in English. When I travel, I can get by in English, so I’m likely to be able to make myself understood. Or often, there will be someone with [the patient] who may be better at French, so we’ll rely on family. But we’re really trying to promote the use of [trained] interpreters.” She noted that an employee who’s comfortable doing basic intake in English may still need an interpreter to discuss complex health issues or informed consent with an English-speaking patient. “This is really what we’re working on, to help people better understand the circumstances in which to ask for an interpreter, and the importance of doing so as well.”

Directive brings clarity

In July 2024, the Quebec government issued a directive as part of the Bill 96 implementation process, laying out a list of situations where English and other languages could be used in health care. The directive alarmed advocates for access to services in English, who saw an attempt to restrict English in health care. A revised directive, published in September, clarified that a language other than French may be used whenever “the user or their representative requests it, expresses that they do not understand or do not seem to understand French, or according to the judgment of the [health professional].” It states that health professionals can communicate in English or another language with a patient or their representative if they’re able, or work with an interpretation service if they aren’t. It also clarifies when translated documents should be provided. If translations aren’t available, professionals need to find a way to provide the patient with the information in a language they understand.

JHSB establishment director Mélie De Champlain said the new directive “is actually a big help.

“It clarifies things, it gives us tools to get where we’re going and [see] how we can support people who want to have access to care in the language of their choice,” she said. “We are working much more on promot- ing it so that people know how they can access services in the language of their choice.”

“We always want users to communicate their needs. If you have a need [for an interpreter or for translated written information], communicate that to the professional working with you,” Fiset said.