Guidelines for Health Care Settings

The Migrant and Refugee Women’s Health Partnership published the Competency Standards Framework for Clinicians in January 2019, entitled Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice: Working with People from Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds. This Framework, below, sets out the standards for all clinical practitioners in Australia when working with interpreters. The Framework is accompanied by a specific Guide for Clinicians Working with Interpreters in Health Care Settings, also below. AUSIT encourages all clinicians around Australia to study this Guide carefully before working with interpreters.

Competency Standards Framework for Clinicians: Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice: Working with People from Migrant and Refugee backgrounds

Guide for Clinicians Working with Interpreters in Health Care Settings

AUSIT’s own Guidelines for Health Professionals pre-date the Competency Standards Framework, but enshrine the same principles:

AUSIT Guidelines for Health Professionals working with Interpreters

The NSW Health Care Interpreter Service (HCIS) and Queensland Government also provide resources, including a training DVD on achieving best outcomes when working with interpreters:

Working with Interpreters HCIS

Working with Interpreters in the Healthcare Setting HCIS – Fact Sheet/Order Form

ABC Tool Assessing Need Interpreter HCIS

QLD Health Guidelines for working with Interpreters

For psychologists working with interpreters, AUSIT recommends:

Working with Interpreters: A Practice Guide for Psychologists

AUSIT’s Guidelines for People who Work with Interpreters: Sight Translation are also relevant –
go to the ‘In Health Care Settings’ section.

Guidelines for People who Work with Interpreters:
Sight Translation

For psychologists working with interpreters, AUSIT recommends:

Helen Tebble’s Medical Interpreting: Improving communication with your patients also provides guidance for physicians and other medical practitioners who need to work with medical interpreters. Special attention is given to the Australian context. The text is available online from ERIC Documents ED426614 and the video can be ordered from Helen Tebble by email.

Guidelines for Health Care Settings

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