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PROVIDERS' VIEWS OF THE ROLES OF MEDICAL INTERPRETERS

Award Number: R03MH076205
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2006
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2008

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PROVIDERS' VIEWS OF THE ROLES OF MEDICAL INTERPRETERS - DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The importance of medical interpreters to improve the health literacy of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP; e.g., through effective communication with health care providers) has been widely recognized; however their roles and functions are less understood and more widely debated. Although there are a few studies that have examined how interpreters understand their roles in health care settings, no studies have examined health care providers' expectations for the roles of interpreters and the quality of bilingual health communication. The objective of the study is to generate a new communication theory that highlights providers' communicative goals during a medical encounter and educates interpreters to respond to the providers' needs more effectively. The specific aims of this study are (a) to assess providers' experiences with, perceptions of, attitudes about, expectations for medical interpreters and (b) to explore differences in these dimensions across different medical specialties. The proposed study is a two-year project, involving both qualitative and quantitative methods. In year one, focus groups will be conducted with health care providers who have worked with medical interpreters to explore their views of interpreter-mediated interactions. In year two, based on the themes and categories developed from the focus group interviews, the Principal Investigator will develop a questionnaire to survey health care providers about their attitudes about medical interpreters. The use of focus groups in year one to develop and test questionnaires in year two will increase the reliability and validity of the instrument. The specific research questions are: (a) What are providers' experiences with and attitudes about the communicative strategies used by interpreters? (b) What are the criteria used by providers to evaluate the success of bilingual health communication?; (c) What are providers' expectations for interpreters' roles and performances?; and (d) Do providers in different specialties vary in their perceptions, attitudes, and expectations? Answering these questions will allow the Principal Investigator to develop a program of research that includes further developing bilingual health communication theory and designing training programs to increase health literacy of patients with LEP.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2007 ( Subtotal = $71,078 )
2007	2007	UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA NORMAN CAMPUS	1000 ASP AVENUE	NORMAN	OK	73109		USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	8/22/2007	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$71,078
														Subtotal = $71,078

Issue Date FY: 2006 ( Subtotal = $73,201 )
2006	2006	UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA NORMAN CAMPUS	1000 ASP AVENUE	NORMAN	OK	73109		USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	8/18/2006	NEW	$73,201
														Subtotal = $73,201

Grand Total All Awards = $144,279

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PROVIDERS' VIEWS OF THE ROLES OF MEDICAL INTERPRETERS

Award Number: R03MH076205

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2006

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2008

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