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To the Editor: The Commentary by Drs Diamond and Reuland¹ and the Perspectives on Care at the Close of Life article by Dr Smith and colleagues² raised issues around communication with Spanish-speaking patients. There is a tendency to label all Spanish-speaking people or those of a Spanish background as speaking Spanish in the same or similar manner. This may give a false impression that a Spanish interpreter or translator in a medical setting will be able to clearly speak Spanish with all patients. It may also be assumed that the patient will understand whatever kind of Spanish is spoken and that there are no differences in dialect or colloquialism used to report symptoms to medical staff through the interpreter. These assumptions may incorporate a cultural bias.

Distinctions should be made based on the geographic origin of Spanish-speaking patients. Interpreters and medical staff should consider what country or region the patient . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Yvon F. Bryan, MD
ybryan@wfubmc.edu
Department of Anesthesiology
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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