Poster Presentations (Group I)

Talking Transplant is an on-line educational resource created by the National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) Office of Patient Advocacy. Developed specifically for interpreters and health professionals, this tool provides:

• An overview of the unrelated marrow or cord blood transplant process
• Information for interpreters about their role and unique responsibilities in the transplant setting
• Translations of print materials and audio files of transplant terms in multiple languages
• Findings from medical interpreter and language-specific, community-based focus groups
• Links to relevant resources

Nationally, fewer than 4,000 people receive an unrelated marrow or cord blood transplant each year. As a result, the unique processes and specialized terminology of this type of transplant are rarely encountered by interpreters and other bilingual health professionals.  Evidence from NMDP Network transplant centers and U.S. Census data indicate that transplant patients, their families and caregivers with limited English proficiency (LEP) experience significant barriers in receiving transplant information that is medically accurate, culturally responsive and timely.

Many challenges emerge when a patient with LEP faces the prospect of an unrelated transplant, including the important consideration that many transplant terms and concepts have not been translated previously, or may not exist in other languages.  This lack of accurate translated information affects the timing of referrals for treatment and consultation; the patient’s ability to give informed consent; compliance with treatment protocols; enrollment with clinical trials; and effective caregiver preparation and support, among other concerns.

Talking Transplant improves access to transplant for patients and families with language and cultural barriers through building professional competencies and increasing the number of interpreters and health professionals with a basic understanding of unrelated transplant. Talking Transplant also offers a new model to provide accessible, continuing education for interpreters and other health professionals who provide services to diverse patient populations with infrequently encountered, yet intense needs for specialized medical information.