| The statistics are unsettling. According to the Joint | | | | simple mispronunciation - and could have had |
| Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare | | | | disastrous results. |
| Organizations, 65% of hospital deaths and injuries | | | | The solution? Providing onsite or online accent |
| are directly related to communication breakdowns. | | | | reduction training for foreign-born medical |
| Nearly 55% of medication errors are caused by | | | | professionals. With programs tailored specifically to |
| faulty communication. These are preventable, | | | | the medical community, accent reduction |
| treatable problems that would not have occurred | | | | specialists can provide the pronunciation training |
| if the communication had been clear. | | | | that healthcare workers need while adapting to |
| We all know that more paperwork is not the | | | | their hectic schedule. |
| answer. But how can we prevent the needless | | | | Depending on the needs of a particular hospital or |
| deaths? What can be done to reduce errors and | | | | private practice, training can often be provided |
| improve patient outcomes? | | | | individually, in small groups, or even in a large |
| One area that must be addressed is that of | | | | group seminar. With virtual training now available |
| foreign-born doctors' accented English. Even those | | | | via Skype, classes can literally be scheduled |
| who are proficient in English often still speak with | | | | anytime and anywhere in the world, as long as |
| such a thick accent that it is difficult for nurses | | | | there is internet available. |
| and patients to understand what they are saying. | | | | Please don't expect your staff speech |
| Unfortunately, it is difficult for them to see the | | | | pathologists to provide this service. They have |
| problem because, often, they've been speaking | | | | enough on their plates, and asking them to "treat" |
| English since they were a child and it was good | | | | the doctors would reinforce the stigma that |
| enough to get them through medical school. | | | | something is wrong and requires therapy. Instead, |
| But here's the reality. It's not an issue of a deficit | | | | locate a speech pathologist off site whose |
| in their expertise or knowledge and it's not an | | | | specialty is accent reduction training. That way, |
| issue of their needing "speech therapy"; it's simply | | | | this person is brought in as an expert trainer |
| a matter of needing some extra training to | | | | offering continuing education opportunities. |
| improve communication skills. | | | | Communication breakdowns are one of the |
| For example, let's suppose that a doctor treating | | | | biggest causes of error in medical settings - and |
| a patient turns to his nurse and asks her to | | | | many of them are preventable. Accent reduction |
| administer fifteen milligrams of a medication. She | | | | training is one effective way to reduce the |
| misunderstands him and proceeds to give the | | | | number of communication -related mistakes. What |
| patient fifty milligrams of the medication. Now, the | | | | are you doing to improve the communication skills |
| doctor knew exactly what he was doing, and the | | | | of the foreign-born healthcare workers in your |
| nurse followed instructions as precisely as she | | | | practice? |
| could. The problem occurred because of one | | | | |