Clear communication is critical for the provision of safe, appropriate, and high-quality health care. With the growing linguistic diversity in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) more patients
may prefer speaking another language with their health care provider than ever before, but access to language supports is limited. Without adequate support, navigating the health care
system with language barriers can be difficult, frustrating, and potentially detrimental to the quality of care. Currently in the GTA there are several established interpretation programs serving diverse patient communities. We conducted an environmental scan of local health care organizations to understand the challenges and successes that they have experienced in designing and
implementing language interpretation programs. We consulted with key informants at four major health care organizations in the region, asking them to share their insights on language interpretation in the GTA and share their approach to ensuring service quality, effectiveness, and accessibility in health care.
Language Interpretation Services in Health Care Settings in the GTA
