Answer:
Options 3, 4, and 5: understand cultural and language differences; avoid interpreting based on personal cultural beliefs; and, provide written information in the primary language
Explanation:
When providing care for a non-English speaking patient, aside from the essential care of keeping the patient safe, it is paramount that the nurse practice cultural humility. That is, the nurse should recognize that these cultural and language differences are a part of what makes us unique, with varying personal beliefs, worldviews, morals, ethics, ways of worship, rules of life, etc. that the nurse may not know about. Thus, a responsibility of the nurse is to learn what they can about this culture so that the care they provide can align with the patient's values and accommodate said cultural beliefs. Doing so requires the nurse to recognize, acknowledge, and understand the cultural and language differences.
It would be inappropriate of the nurse to use these differences in culture and language to patronize, comment on, or otherwise draw inferences about a patient. In fact, the nurse's personal cultural beliefs do not matter. As such, the nurse should avoid interpreting based on personal cultural beliefs. Another aspect of culture humility, the nurse must suspend explicit and implicit bias in order to carry out their duties as a healthcare professional. This is not to say they must tolerate and agree with everything the patient says, but rather recognize that the patient is in charge of their own care and their beliefs must be prioritize during their treatment.
Lastly, to actually provide care and deal with the language barrier, the patient should be provide written information in their primary language if possible. Some facilities do not have the resources available for certain languages, if providing services to certain communities is not as common there. For verbal communication, interpreters both in-house and virtual, should be implemented, with the patient being given the option to choose the modality. Regardless, when communicating with an interpreter, the nurse needs to speak directly to the patient as if the interpreter is simply an automated program that facilitates communication and not another human present in the room. This maintains the patient as the focus and the communication as simple conversation rather than directed instruction.
Options 3, 4, and 5 are the measures the nurse should adopt to ensure effective communication.
