Language barriers between health care workers and patients affect care quality

Article excerpt

Language barriers are a recurring reality in clinical practice in public health care centers across Catalonia. They negatively affect the relationship between health care personnel and patients who are not fluent in any of the official languages: Catalan, Aranese or Spanish. There is a lack of resources and protocols to manage these situations, and therefore professional and stable coordinated policies are needed that can guarantee interpreting and mediation services across the country to prevent inequalities.