How are language barriers bridged in acute hospital care? The tale of two methods of data collection

Abstract

Access to care for patients remains a concern for all parties in the provision of hospital services. It is the subject of patient complaints, large investments of funds and vigorous debate in the community, hospitals and the political arena. This is a common problem in developed nations. There has been little achievement in information technology solutions to this significant problem in Australia. This paper presents a case study of the development and implementation of an organisational access display system intended to provide realtime, or near to real-time information and feedback on access for staff on the floor. This is believed to be one of the first times such a development has been reported in the Australian literature, albeit limited to the context of a single organisation.