Since introducing video interpreting to its Outpatients Department, the Nepean Hospital Women and Children’s Health Service has increased the accessibility of interpreters and improved patient satisfaction too.
Nepean Hospital's Women & Children's Outpatients department has implemented a video interpreting service
The video interpreting service is a joint initiative of Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District’s Multicultural Health and Virtual Care teams and the University of Sydney’s Visual Telehealth Lab.
It improves access to healthcare for patients, families and carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and the deaf community while reducing travel emissions.
Our transition to this sustainable, accessible and cost-effective initiative successfully gained funding from the NSW Health Sustainable Futures Innovation Fund.
The Women and Children’s Health Outpatients Department have benefited from the funding, which enabled the purchase of virtual care equipment and the allocation of a Virtual Care Project Officer to support implementation.
Women and Children’s Health patient surveys have revealed increased patient satisfaction with outpatient consultations following the use of video interpreting. Patients reported that the video interpreting “felt like the interpreter was in the room”. Patients also said that being able to see the interpreter’s facial expressions increased their comfort and enhanced confidence that their communications were being understood.
All patients surveyed said they preferred a video interpreter over a telephone interpreter.
Staff at Nepean Hospital's Women & Children's Outpatient Department
Caring for a diverse population with cultural and linguistically diverse patients, staff within the service have also found great value in video interpreting with one health professional saying, “It’s reassuring to know that complex patients can access video interpreters. Patients are more inclined to ask questions, which is so important to their birthing journey.”
Virtual Care Project Officer and Implementation Lead, Josephine Simic says, “The project team hope the successful outcomes from Women and Children’s Health at Nepean Hospital will help expand the use of video interpreters and, more broadly, virtual care across the District.”
“The Women and Children’s Health Outpatients team were incredibly focused on improving patient experience and increasing accessibility to interpreters. The dedication and collaborative team effort from midwives, doctors and administrative staff to embrace the change to new processes and technology is commendable. Commitment and engagement from the team throughout the project, contributed to the successful implementation of video interpreting,” says Josephine.