Keywords
Medical Interpretation; Limited English Proficiency (LEP); Language Access; Patient-Provider Communication; Resident Physicians
Abstract
In the United States, medical interpreters are essential for proper medical treatment and patient satisfaction for patients who cannot communicate with medical providers in English. For patients with limited English proficiency, medical interpretation is a legally protected right to which patients have access free of charge at any healthcare institution receiving funds from Medicare and Medicaid, which constitutes most healthcare institutions in the United States. However, providers do not always utilize medical interpreters due to several factors, especially those relating to time pressure. Given that resident physicians experience these time pressures and other challenges related to medical interpretation for the first time in their career, this qualitative study investigated both residents’ and medical interpreters’ perspectives on the interpreted patient encounter, including both challenges and solutions related to the practice. Discussion posts were collected from the openly accessible online community of residents on Reddit called /r/Residency and then analyzed for emergent themes. The themes that emerged from the data were the following: impact of language, culture, and bilingualism; issues with accuracy of interpretation; adherence to protocol and ethics; time cost; and finally, emotional labor, respect, and frustration. Based on these findings, patient outcomes and satisfaction could be improved by a more respectful and cooperative relationship between providers and medical interpreters as well as additional training for medical interpreters to increase providers’ trust in them.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Miller, Ann
Department
Communication
Thesis Discipline
Communication
Language
English
Access Status
Campus Access
Length of Campus Access
3 years
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Nohr, Colin, "Experiences With Medical Interpreter Use by Resident Physicians: A Reddit Content Analysis" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 612.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/612
Restricted to the UCF community until 5-15-2029; it will then be open access.
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