Cooperstein, Noah

Hodkinson, Peter

Meehan-Coussee, Kelly

Moore, Brian

Tate, Ramsey

English

University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico
UNM Digital Repository
Emergency Medicine Research and Scholarship Emergency Medicine
10-30-2013
Language barriers impact emergency medical
services: Preliminary results
Ramsey Tate
Noah Cooperstein
Kelly Meehan-Coussee
Peter Hodkinson
Brian Moore
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Recommended Citation
Tate, Ramsey; Noah Cooperstein; Kelly Meehan-Coussee; Peter Hodkinson; and Brian Moore. "Language barriers impact emergency
medical services: Preliminary results." (2013). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/emergencymed_pubs/7
Ramsey Tate, MD
Noah Cooperstein, NREMT-P, MSIII
Kelly Meehan-Coussee, NREMT-P, MSIII
Peter Hodkinson, MBBCh
Brian Moore, MD
May 3, 2014
Language Barriers Impact 
Emergency Medical Services:
Preliminary Results
Emergency medical services (EMS) care is a continuum 
that relies on accurate and efficient communication
Impact of language barriers in other healthcare settings is 
well-documented
Scant research on prehospital language barriers
Background
Dispatch 
center
On-scene 
provider
Receiving 
facility
“And he kept saying 
‘sangria sangria sangria’ 
and I didn’t know what 
“sangria” meant. And I 
didn’t know why he kept 
saying that to me…I was 
like “wine, is there wine in 
his pocket?” I didn’t 
understand, like what he 
was telling me.” 
Language Barriers Impact EMS 
Care
"Her blood pressure was 
up and everything was 
serious...it sounded as if 
it could've been a heart 
problem, and when we 
saw the vital signs we 
thought it could be a 
heart problem...
…so then the other questions started coming in, so 
then it came out that there was a fight. And then it 
was like 'Oh, okay, now we understand.'"
Study Objectives
Describe formal and informal strategies utilized by EMS 
providers to overcome language barriers
Describe decision-making by EMS providers when faced 
with language barriers
Study Design 
2 components
• Survey
• Interviews
2 types of data
• Quantitative
• Qualitative
Locations
• New Mexico
• South Africa
All dispatchers in study dispatch centers
Excluded if not working at time of survey or still in training 
58 New Mexico respondents (overall 84.5% response rate)
Mixed Methods Design 
EMS field medics at all levels of training if dispatched by one of the four 
study dispatch centers
Excluded if still training, no shifts within past 30 days, no pediatric patients
Follow up with a combined analysis of 
Interviews and Surveys.
Mixed Methods Design 
Results
Dispatcher perception of  the 
impact of  language barriers on 
medical care
Impact of language barriers on 
patient care and transport 
decisions  
EMS strategies to overcome 
language barriers in the field
Dispatchers’ Perception of 
Language Barrier Impact
Increased 
likelihood of 
transport (36%)
Increased reliance 
on next provider in 
chain (48%)
Impact on Decision Making
Body language (80%)
Bystander translators 
(84% Adult, 28% child)
Reliance on objective 
assessment (76%) 
Strategies: In the Spirit of EMS
Telephonic Interpreter 
(32%)
Digital Tools (24%)
Recommendations
Telephonic 
interpreters (44%)
Language classes 
(73%)
Framework for Next Steps
• Get the lay of the 
land
• Test interventions & 
tools
Questions?


Language barriers impact emergency medical services: Preliminary results

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&amp;context=emergencymed_pubs

Language barriers impact emergency medical services: Preliminary results

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