Diabetes Disaster Averted #65: Language Interpretations
I was a CDE in a small community hospital and served many women with gestational diabetes who were Hispanic. I saw a woman who I had followed during a previous pregnancy where she required insulin. She had received education about starting on insulin again, was given vouchers for the insulin, and a start kit that included syringes and prescriptions....
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On her follow up appointment her blood glucose levels were still extremely elevated. I asked her several questions about the doses she was taking, if she had any problems administering the insulin, about her diet, etc…. I then instructed her to increase her insulin dosages.
To be sure there were no communication issues, I called our interpreter and had her ask the same questions and reinforce the instructions to increase the insulin dose. Right before she left I thought to ask her one last question, "Were you able to get the insulin from the pharmacy?" to which she answered, "No."
Lesson learned:
In working with different cultures, asking the right questions or asking them the right way can avert disaster!
Jean Elliott RN, CDE
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