"We can make awful mistakes": exploring briefing and debriefing practices in hearing care appointments involving spoken language interpreters

OBJECTIVES: Miscommunication between hearing care professionals (HCPs), spoken language interpreters, and patients in interpreter-assisted appointments poses serious risks, including misdiagnosis and ineffective treatment. Structured briefing and debriefing sessions between HCPs and interpreters may mitigate these risks....

Audiologists working with spoken language interpreters should implement structured pre-appointment briefing and post-appointment debriefing to reduce miscommunication and improve patient safety in hearing care.

As audiology serves increasingly diverse populations, poor interpreter briefing practices represent an underrecognized patient safety risk that clinics can address through relatively simple procedural changes.

1. 01Qualitative study examining briefing/debriefing practices in hearing care appointments using spoken language interpreters.
2. 02Identifies miscommunication risks among clinicians, interpreters, and patients when preparation is absent.
3. 03Title quote — 'We can make awful mistakes' — signals serious patient safety implications.
4. 04Findings suggest current briefing/debriefing practices are inconsistent or insufficient.
5. 05Has direct implications for clinic communication protocols and interpreter training standards.

PMID

42290154

DOI

10.1080/14992027.2026.2675571.

Journal

International Journal of Audiology

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

5

Population

Clinicians, interpreters, and/or patients involved in hearing care appointments using spoken language interpreters

Intervention

Exploration of briefing and debriefing practices with spoken language interpreters in hearing care