March 2021
Daniela
Bernal
,
RN
Cardiac Intensive Care
Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital
A physician needed assistance communicating with a non-English speaking patient in the ICU. This patient was COVID+ and due to our limit of staff going into COVID rooms, our resources of interpreting services were not available. Daniela had a patient assignment on CIC, but knew she needed to help on ICU because Spanish was her first language and she has her interpreting license. She assisted with a few conversations a handful of times, but didn't stop there. Daniela submitted an access form to implement Martti services, a video interpreting service, that includes several languages and an option for the Deaf. These are portable on wheels and can be taken into isolation rooms. Daniela states, "I've experienced the fear of coming to a new country and not being able to speak the language. To this day, I still help my parents with interpreting, not only to help the provider, but to give my parents a peace of mind by being able to understand it all and get the care they need. I know this will be a great asset to our hospital, staff, and our community."