I stumbled upon DeafDoc's people at a DeafExpo in Chicago a few years back.  I thought it was a bunch of hearing people awkwardly signing SICK, HOSPITAL, and VOMIT.  Boy, was I wrong.  What they developed was a pretty extensive medical resource for Deaf people, interpreters and hearing health care professionals.  


Here's a sampling from www.deafdoc.org from their page titled, "Health Care Providers: How to Evaluate Interpreters"


Clear and unfettered communication is a vital first step in establishing an effective and safe provider—patient relationship.

How many of you have experienced a situation where you ask a patient a question through an interpreter.  The interpreter and patient seem to go back and forth for quite some time, finally, the interpreter says, “yes (or no).” 

This situation creates a dilemma for the health care provider, AND for the patient!  You, the provider did not understand what just took place, and the patient is not sure if the interpreter accurately represented what you just asked.  You also can not effectively evaluate the interpreter or the communication process......

This site touches upon various areas in medical interpreting including, turn taking, jargon, and payment. DeafDoc.org paired with our standard practice papers could be a winning pair if you find yourself at a loss for words in an interpreting situation.  



Hayley J.