Dangerous instances of miscommunication are not uncommon when it comes to LEP (limited English proficiency) patients and healthcare. As recently reported in “FierceHealthcare,” “a staggering 90 percent of clinicians say language barriers have compromised care in LEP patients, and 86 percent said cultural barriers compromised care.”

In today’s diverse world it is vital to create a culturally competent healthcare environment to promote best practices in terms of patient care.

According to “FierceHealthcare,” there are certain steps that should be considered in order to make physician services more culturally competent.

One suggestion is to hire physicians and staff members who are fluent in languages other than English.

“Speaking the same language as the patient automatically makes them feel more at home,” according to Dr. Neil Gajjar, a physician based in Mississauga, Ontario, whose staff speaks five different languages.

Another step can be to encourage members of your healthcare organization to take classes in other languages. Many hospitals offer to pay course tuition and some even give bonuses to students who earn high grades in courses.

Other healthcare organizations have seminars held on hospital grounds and taught by language experts. The most effective learning methods have been by interactive seminars that require feedback by audience members.