a guide to conversing with spanish speaking patients

16
A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients for Phlebotomists and Lab Assistants This guide covers topics ranging from establishing patient identification through making the patient comfortable by using conversational phrases. The table of contents makes it easy to use this guide as a reference as you are interacting with the patient.

Upload: zack-lakeman

Post on 20-Mar-2017

76 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients for Phlebotomists and Lab Assistants

This guide covers topics ranging from establishing patient identification through making the patient comfortable by using conversational phrases. The table of contents makes it easy to use this guide as a reference as you are interacting with the patient.

Page 2: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

1

Contents How to Approach the Situation ...................................................................... 2

Greeting the Patient........................................................................................ 3

Calling the patient in the waiting room ................................................ 3

Asking the patient if they speak Spanish .............................................. 4

Making the patient comfortable ........................................................... 5

Verifying Patient ID ......................................................................................... 6

Verifying compliance with special testing instructions................................... 7

Explaining the procedure to the patient ......................................................... 8

Glucose Tolerance Testing .................................................................... 9

Choosing a Site and Site Preparation ............................................................ 10

Performing the blood draw ........................................................................... 11

Urine samples ............................................................................................... 12

Parts of the Body ........................................................................................... 13

Personal Notes .............................................................................................. 14

Page 3: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

2

How to Approach the Situation Communication is a crucial element of healthcare. Inaccurate information can lead to misdiagnosis and lawsuits. It is important to know exactly what you are communicating. You do not have to be fluent in Spanish in order to communicate with a patient effectively. This is especially true in phlebotomy. It is extremely important that you ask for help if you are in a situation where you are unsure about what the patient is trying to communicate to you. Most workplaces have translator hotlines available so be sure to familiarize yourself with how to use those services before using this brochure. That way, you know how to use them if this guide is insufficient for your needs. The other important point to keep in mind is that most patients are glad to communicate with you – even on a basic level. There is no need to be afraid that your Spanish is insufficient. The only way to get better is to use it! The last thing to keep in mind is that there are different ways of addressing an adult versus a child. The way to address an adult is using the “formal” way and we use the “informal” way for a child. A note on politeness: Since you are not 100% fluent in Spanish, it might be difficult to remember how to properly address people. Because of this, it will always be in your interest to be very polite. Using “por favor” is a good way to mediate any negative perception a patient might incur due to your accidental misuse of the noun tenses. Thus, it is a good idea to include phrases such as “por favor” when asking the patient to do something for you. Add “por favor” to the beginning or end of any of the phrases below when asking the patient to do something or tell you something. Similarly, saying “muchas gracias” after something they do for you can show them that you do not mean any disrespect in case you accidentally address them improperly.

Page 4: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

3

Greeting the Patient

Calling the patient in the waiting room

Some labs make each patient take a number upon arrival. This is the best way to maintain patient privacy. Most Spanish patients know a little English, so start in English by calling the number using each of its component numbers. For example, to say 715, don’t say “seven-hundred fifteen”, say “seven, one, five.” If that doesn’t work, try it in Spanish but apply the same logic.

0 Cero (“sero”)

5 Cinco (“sink-o”)

1 Uno (“oo-no”)

6 Seis (“sehys”)

2 Dos

7 Siete (“see-ehtey”)

3 Tres 8 Ocho (“oh-cho”)

4 Cuatro (“kwah-tro”)

9 Nueve (“new-eh-vey”)

Page 5: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

4

Asking the patient if they speak Spanish

If the patient has an accompanying family member that is bilingual, then it is up to your discretion as to whether or not they are able to act as a translator. The best policy is to use common sense. However, if you aren’t sure whether or not your patient understands you, make sure to ask! Phrase To an adult To a child Do you speak Spanish?

¿Habla Usted español?

¿Hablas tú español?

I speak a little Spanish.

Yo hablo un poco de español.

My name is… Me llamo…

Page 6: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

5

Making the patient comfortable It is always a good idea to use good “bed-side manners” with a patient, even in an outpatient setting. By doing this, the patient is more likely to tell you about things that might be relevant to the blood draw (i.e. arthritic joints, mastectomy, etc.). Here are some phrases to get you started. Phrase To an adult To a child How are you? ¿Comó está Usted? ¿Comó estás tú? I’m good. And you? Muy bien, ¿y Usted? Muy bien, ¿y tú? I’m OK. Más o menos. I’m sick. Yo estoy enfermo. Would you like a sticker?

¿Quieres un sticker?

Page 7: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

6

Verifying Patient ID

You can ask for the patient’s driver’s license to find out their name and date of birth if you are not comfortable asking in Spanish. However, it is more impersonal so it is encouraged that you to learn how to use the following phrases. Phrase To an adult To a child What’s your name? ¿Comó se llama? ¿Comó te llamas? And your last name? ¿Su apellido? ¿Tu apellido? Can you repeat that? Repita, por favor. Repite, por favor. One more time, but slower.

Otra vez, pero más despacio.

Do you have your driver’s license?

¿Tiene su identificación?

¿Tienes tu identificación?

What is your date of birth?

¿Cuál es su fecha de nacimiento?

¿Cuál es tu fecha de nacimiento?

What day? ¿Qué día? What month? ¿Qué mes? What year? ¿Qué año? How old are you? ¿Cuántos años tienes? Most likely the patient will tell you their birthday too fast for you to understand. You can get them to help you out by starting with the first number of the year (which is likely “uno-nueve-…”).

Page 8: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

7

Verifying compliance with special testing instructions Phrase To an adult To a child Have you eaten, drank, smoked or chewed gum?

¿Comió o bebió algo, fumó, o mascó chicle?

¿Comiste o bebiste algo o mascaste chicle?

You are allowed to drink water.

Usted puede tomar agua.

Tú puedes tomar agua.

Did the coffee have sugar or cream?

¿Tiene crema o azúcar el café?

Page 9: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

8

Explaining the procedure to the patient

A lot of Hispanic patients (even the older ones!) have never had their blood drawn before. It is a good idea to try and explain the procedure to the patient as you are doing it. Not only does this increase their comfort level (and cause vasodilation) but it will also decrease the chance that they will move upon venipuncture. Counting down right before the venipuncture also helps them know when to hold still because most of them do not like to look! Phrase To an adult To a child I’m going to draw your blood.

Voy a sacarle sangre. Voy a sacarte sangre.

Have you had your blood drawn before?

Antes de hoy, ¿le han sacado sangre?

Antes de hoy, ¿te han sacado sangre?

It hurts less than a bee sting.

No duele mucho, es como una picadura de abeja.

I’m just going to look for a vein.

Solamente, estoy buscando una vena.

You are very brave! Tú eres muy valiente! Stay still, please. No se mueva, por

favor. No te muevas, por favor.

Page 10: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

9

Glucose Tolerance Testing

Phrase To an adult First we are going to draw your blood.

Primero, voy a sacarle sangre.

After, you have to wait here for 30 minutes.

Después, tiene que quedarse por treinta minutos aquí.

If that blood test comes back OK, we will continue the testing. Otherwise, you’ll have to come back another day.

Si esta prueba de sangre está bien, entonces podemos continuar. Si no está bien, tiene que volver otro día.

You can’t eat, drink, or smoke for three hours.

Usted no puede comer, beber o fumar por tres horas.

Drink this drink entirely in the next 5 minutes.

Tiene que tomar toda esta bebida en cinco minutos.

We will draw your blood every hour for the next three hours.

Vamos a sacarle sangre cada hora por tres horas.

Page 11: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

10

Choosing a Site and Site Preparation

Phrase To an adult To a child Which arm do you prefer?

¿Cuál brazo prefiere, Usted?

¿Cuál brazo prefieres, tú?

Is it OK if I draw blood from here?

¿Está bien que yo le saque sangre aquí?

Is it OK if I draw blood from your hand?

¿Está bien que yo le saque sangre en esta mano?

I’m going to clean your arm (hand) with a little alcohol.

Yo le voy a limpiar aquí con alcohol.

Page 12: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

11

Performing the blood draw

Phrase To an adult To a child Are you ready? ¿Está listo(a)?

(lista for a female) ¿Estás listo(a)?

Make a fist. Cierre la mano. Cierra la mano. I’m going to count to three… one… two… three.

Yo voy a contar… uno… dos… tres.

Is everything alright? ¿Está bien? ¿Estás bien? Don’t look! ¡No mire, por favor! Does it hurt a lot? ¿Le duele? ¿Te duele? Relax your hand. Abra la mano. Abre la mano. Almost done but keep still.

Ya terminamos.

This is the last tube. Este es el último

tubito.

Hold this for me. Presione aquí. Presiona aquí. The test results will be ready in three days.

Los resultados van a estar listos en 3 días.

That’s it! Thank you! See you next time!

¡Sí, eso es todo! ¡Muchas gracias! ¡Hasta luego!

Page 13: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

12

Urine samples

Phrase To an adult To a child We need a urine sample.

Necesitamos una prueba de orina.

Our bathroom is… Nuestro baño está… … there. … allí. … on the left. … a la izquierda. … on the right. … a la derecha. … straight ahead. … derecho. Fill it about halfway. Llénelo hasta la mitad. Llénalo hasta la mitad. Fill it as much as you can.

Llénelo al máximo. Llénalo al máximo.

Page 14: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

13

Parts of the Body

Page 15: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

14

Personal Notes

Page 16: A Guide to Conversing with Spanish Speaking Patients

15

Created by: Zack Lakeman Spring 2015

All images from external sources.