Objectives: To investigate what proportion of patients attending a rheumatology unit in Birmingham, UK, require interpretation services and to assess the use of an Asian language telephone helpline we have established for those who find it easier to communicate in Punjabi, Urdu or Hindi than in English.
Methods: Our patients' requirement for interpretation services and their ability to read the script of the language they preferred to communicate in was assessed. A second survey assessed the use of an Asian language helpline we had established. All calls were recorded over 18 months. The reasons for the calls were categorized and compared with those made to our English helpline.
Results: 171 of 512 patients (33%) stated that they required interpretation services. 128 (25%) were not able to read the script of their preferred language. In the second survey, 101 calls to the Asian language helpline were assessed and were compared with calls to the English helpline. The reasons for the calls differed between the helplines.
Conclusions: A large proportion of patients attending our rheumatology unit required interpretation services to communicate effectively with their healthcare professional. Most of these patients were unable to read the script of the language they could speak, casting some doubt over the utility of translated written information. Patients of South Asian origin who preferred to communicate in Punjabi, Urdu or Hindi made use of a helpline operating in these languages, suggesting that this may be an effective strategy to facilitate communication with this group of patients.