Interpreter Communication Quality in Cognitive Assessments for Dementia
The MINDSET Randomized Clinical Trial
Importance: As dementia cases rise with an aging population, interpreters play a crucial role in helping doctors communicate effectively with patients during cognitive assessments. This study is the first randomized clinical trial aimed at improving interpreter communication in these assessments.
Objective: To determine if online training, developed by interpreters, clinicians, and multilingual family caregivers, enhances the quality of interpreter communication during dementia assessments.
Trial Overview
Design, Setting, and Participants: The MINDSET study was a randomized clinical trial involving certified interpreters fluent in Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Mandarin, or Vietnamese, all with at least 6 months of experience. Conducted online in Australia from June 26, 2022, to April 2, 2023, the study included follow-ups at 3 and 6 months.
Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to either receive interpreter training during the study or wait until after their 6-month assessment.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Key Outcome: The main measure was the improvement in interpreted communication quality, assessed through a score based on five areas:
- Knowledge of dementia
- Cross-cultural communication
- Briefings and debriefings
- Interpreting skills for cognitive assessments
- Ethical principles during assessments
Results: In total, 126 interpreters participated. The average age was 44 years, and most lived in urban areas. The initial analysis did not show significant improvement in communication quality for the intervention group. However, an improved outcome was seen for those who completed at least 70% of the training. Specifically, knowledge of dementia saw significant improvement.
Conclusions:
While the overall interpreter communication quality did not significantly improve in the main analysis, those who engaged fully with the training saw benefits. This indicates that completing at least 70% of the training can lead to better communication in dementia assessments.
Practical Solutions and Value:
This study highlights the importance of comprehensive training for interpreters to enhance communication quality during dementia assessments. By focusing on key areas such as dementia knowledge and ethical communication, we can improve patient care outcomes.
Trial Registration: ANZCTR Identifier: ACTRN12621001281886.
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