The Experience of Mandarin-Speaking Radiotherapy Patients Using an Instant Language Translation Device to Facilitate Communication.

INTRODUCTION

Clear communication between patients and radiation therapists (RTTs) is fundamental to quality radiotherapy (RT) care. This study aimed to evaluate patient experience and satisfaction with the use of an instant language translation device (ITD) to facilitate communication between Mandarin-speaking patients and RTTs.

METHODS

This multisite study spanned three Australian public hospitals over 2 years. A non-probability purposive sample of Mandarin-speaking radiation therapy patients aged >18 years was recruited. Patients who had received prior RT were excluded. Anonymous surveys gathered scaled and free-text data on participant experience and satisfaction with ITD use. Participant demographics, baseline literacy scores, and information from daily communication log sheets were also collected. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses (Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher's exact tests) were employed to analyze data.

RESULTS

A total of 44 participants were recruited and consented to the study, with four withdrawing. Participants indicated satisfaction with ITD use, inclination to recommend ITD use for others, perception that the ITD enhanced RT, and positive overall care quality. Where participants reported technical issues, Kruskal-Wallis tests demonstrated correlation with; (1) a positive recommendation for daily use (p = 0.024), and (2) perceptions of enhanced RT experience with ITD use (p = 0.008).

CONCLUSION

This research highlights the importance of language concordance with RT patients. The findings support continued use of an ITD for Mandarin-speaking participants within an RT context, despite technical issues. Advancing technologies hold promise for further improvements in translation quality. Future research is required to understand clinical impact of ITD use and the potential for expanded application.