Improving nurse-patient communication and quality of care: the transcultural, linguistic care team.

Up to 20% of hospital-related adverse events are the result of communication-related misunderstandings. Especially serious communication-related problems occur during hospital admissions, on transfer from one unit to another, and at discharge. By communicating with patients in their primary language, it is possible to navigate these critical junctures, build trust, involve patients in their plan of care, improve patient safety, and enhance the quality of care that is provided in an inpatient setting. When nurses’ cultural background differs from patients’, subtle linguistic, conversational, and cultural differences that influence patient involvement in and adherence to their plan of care can be missed. When nurses are from the same linguistic and cultural background as their patients, patients are typically more comfortable discussing their health practices, health beliefs, folk medicine usage, and feelings about their plan of care.