Interpreter requirements of women from non-English speaking migrant backgrounds in maternity hospitals in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Purpose

Access to professional interpreter services is a critical facilitator of positive health-care experiences when health-care professionals and women accessing maternity care are not proficient in a shared language. Understanding interpreter demand is essential for the provision of professional interpreter services. This study aims to characterise interpreter requirements among women from nonrefugee and refugee non-English-speaking migrant backgrounds in Australian maternity hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analysed administrative data from four public maternity hospitals in Victoria, Australia. The primary outcome was the proportion of women from non-English speaking migrant backgrounds who required an interpreter during their maternity care, both overall and stratified by refugee and nonrefugee background. Adjusted logistic regression was used to estimate the association between migrant background and interpreter requirements.

Findings

Among the 6,771 women from non-English speaking migrant backgrounds included in analyses, 1,344 (19.8%) required an interpreter during their maternity care. The odds of requiring an interpreter were fivefold higher among women from refugee backgrounds compared to migrant women from nonrefugee backgrounds [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.83; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.13–5.65].

Practical implications

The study highlights the diversity in cultural backgrounds and migration experiences of women accessing maternity care within metropolitan public hospitals. The high interpreter requirements, particularly among women from refugee backgrounds, underscores the need for comprehensive and woman-centred interpreter services to attenuate disparities in hospital maternity care.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to quantify the interpreter requirements of women from non-English-speaking migrant backgrounds in maternity hospital settings and make women comparisons between women from refugee and nonrefugee backgrounds.

Citation

Dawe, J., McDonald, E., Riggs, E., Szwarc, J. and Yelland, J. (2023), "Interpreter requirements of women from non-English speaking migrant backgrounds in maternity hospitals in Melbourne, Australia", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 19 No. 3/4, pp. 299-309. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-08-2023-0073