Call For Papers Submissions Have Been Closed
Those who have submitted abstracts will be contacted by mid-April
Thank you

ENSURING PATIENT SAFETY FOR LANGUAGE MINORITY PATIENTS
- a new standard of care -

2010 IMIA International Conference on Medical Interpreting
September 3rd – 5th, 2010
Boston, MA, USA

Are language minority patients safer now?

What have we done to standardize language services quality, training, competence?

How can we help prepare interpreters for this new national standard?

We encourage innovative ideas for presentations and activities that support the theme of the year. Interpreters are asking for workshops that prepare them for national certification (see http://www.imiaweb.org/uploads/pages/195_2.pdf). The Scientific National Job Analysis from January 2009 confirmed that medical interpreting is a highly specialized profession. It demonstrated that much of the precision of the interpreter’s work relied on knowledge of precise medical terminology in a variety of specialties. Therefore, conference planners would like to see more workshops devoted to medical terminology and best practices of language services delivery, technology, education, and interpreter safety.

"The National Certification that the IMIA is promoting would certainly be the first step in filling a service gap not only for the healthcare industry but for language minority patients as well."

Garth N. Graham, M.D., M.P.H.
Deputy Assistant Secretary
DHHS Office of Minority Health

"Hospitals across the country should provide their patients with qualified interpreters that can prevent the miscommunications and subsequent medical errors that still occur far too often in some of today's hospitals"

Mursal Khaliif
Senior Director of Multilingual Services
Cambridge Health Alliance
Cambridge, Massachusetts

"The launching of a standardized certification process for medical interpreters is a crucial step towards assuring that all patients get the care they need in a language they can understand. It also sends a strong message that we will no longer tolerate substandard care due to miscommunication in our hospitals and health care organizations"

Alex Green, MD, MPH
Associate Director, Disparities Solutions Center
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

The overriding mission of the conference is to offer opportunities to develop the knowledge, wisdom, and practices of all through educational and cultural events and to promote participation in networking and leadership opportunities, to advance individuals, the profession, and improve quality in medical interpreting services.

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