Key Points

Please take a moment to review these points, reflect on their significance and consider how they apply to your own experiences.

Tick to confirm (optional):

• Family members can assist but relying on them for interpretation risks inaccuracies and reduced patient autonomy.
• Address the patient directly using clear body language, eye contact and a respectful tone even when interpretation is provided by a relative.
• Use professional interpreters or translated materials where available; if not, acknowledge the limitation and arrange follow-up interpretation.
• Adapt spoken language: short simple sentences, avoid jargon, and support explanations with diagrams, demonstrations or show-and-tell with spectacles/contact lenses.
• Confirm understanding using teach-back methods (ask the patient to repeat or demonstrate key points).
• Involve family members in a supportive rather than leading role; explain confidentiality benefits of professional interpretation for sensitive topics.
• Document communication challenges, the steps taken to ensure comprehension, and the patient's own phrasing wherever possible.