Talking lowers barrier
Patients reassured by staff speaking own language
PATIENTS at Townsville University Hospital who struggle to broach the language barrier will receive a hand thanks to a new identifier that will help connect patients with staff who speak their language.
A recent call-out for staff capable of speaking multiple languages yielded people in all sectors with a variety of fluent languages. Obstetrics and gynaecology registrar Bryony van Santen speaks Dutch and French, and will now be one of the staff whose badge will describe her multilingual status.
“Dutch is my mother tongue and I learned English and French growing up in Europe and the US attending international schools while my father worked for the World Bank,” Dr van Santen said.
“It was a global upbringing, and it gave me a strong appreciation of differences in cultures and language.
“There are many patients in our hospital who speak languages other than English and it helps when we can speak to them in their own language. Not being able to speak English in a western healthcare setting can be very isolating and scary, and I’m delighted with the launch of this initiative.”
Dr van Santen’s grasp of French was useful in helping
patients from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I was working in the birth suite one night and we had a very young Congolese woman in labour who was
terrified and alone with no English,” she said.
“I was able to talk to her in French throughout her labour and reassure her.
“It was a reminder to me of
the diversity of our community and so wonderful to be able to be there for her, talking to her in her own language, during the birth of her baby.”