Characteristics of the Review Sample
Table 1 summarizes the characteristics of studies included in
the current review.
In terms of methodologies, 9 of the retained articles (69%) were
qualitative research studies and 4 (31%) were opinion pieces. The 13
articles came mainly from English-speaking countries, including the
United States (US; n=9), Australia (n=2), the United Kingdom (UK; n=1),
and New Zealand (n=1). Across these 13 articles, it was found that
medical student interpretation services were provided in over 35
languages. Five studies (38%) described and evaluated the content,
assessment, and effectiveness of interpretation training programs
targeted at medical students that speak a language other than English.
One article (7.7%) introduced an initiative which connects multilingual
medical students with patients in need of translation services. Three
articles (23%) surveyed graduating medical school cohorts to determine
the frequency at which students acted as untrained ad hoc interpreters
during their clinical rotations. In the four opinion articles (31%),
authors expressed their perspectives on using medical students as ad hoc
interpreters in various clinical settings. Most included studies (70%)
discussed both advantages and disadvantages of medical students acting
as interpreters. Interestingly, five studies (38%) emphasized the legal
and ethical concerns associated with this issue. The experiences of
hospital staff, patients, and medical students have also been documented
in 7 of the articles (54%).