“It Adds Time and So Much Information Is Lost”: Patterns of Interpreter Use and Non-English Language Skills Among Surgery Residents at an Academic Safety-Net Hospital

Mariah B Blegen; Jesus R. Torres; Melinda Maggard‐Gibbons; Breena R. Taira; Marcia M. Russell

doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2026.103883

February 16, 2026Journal of surgical educationOpen Access

“It Adds Time and So Much Information Is Lost”: Patterns of Interpreter Use and Non-English Language Skills Among Surgery Residents at an Academic Safety-Net Hospital

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Key Points

This research aims to explore how surgery residents perceive interpreter use and the challenges they face in utilizing language services.
Qualitative assessment of surgery residents' experiences with interpreter use.
Analysis of barriers to language access in clinical environments.
Evaluation of institutional support structures for language services.
Surgery residents acknowledge the importance of interpreters for effective communication.
Time constraints limit the consistent use of interpreters during surgical care.
Training specific to surgery residents could improve utilization of language services.

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Implication

Surgery residents describe barriers to interpreter use in clinical settings, suggesting training could enhance language services.

Abstract

Surgery residents recognize the value of interpreters but describe time and equipment constraints that impede consistent use of language access across different clinical environments of surgical care. These findings suggest training and institutional support specific to the needs of surgery residents may improve language services utilization which is important for both regulatory compliance and patient safety.

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Cite This Study

Blegen et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6997f941ad1d9b11b3452287 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2026.103883

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“It Adds Time and So Much Information Is Lost”: Patterns of Interpreter Use and Non-English Language Skills Among Surgery Residents at an Academic Safety-Net Hospital

Key Points

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

“It Adds Time and So Much Information Is Lost”: Patterns of Interpreter Use and Non-English Language Skills Among Surgery Residents at an Academic Safety-Net Hospital

Key Points

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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