Gloria Guzman – or rather an image of her on a computer monitor – glides past the nurse’s station on her way to “see” another patient. She’s not a doctor or a nurse but nevertheless plays an important role in patient care. Guzman is a medical interpreter currently involved in a pilot project to determine whether remote video interpretation – with her image and voice transmitted over a two-way Internet connection – meets the needs of patients with limited English proficiency.

Medical interpretation at UC Irvine Medical Center is usually provided in person. Often, however, the doctor or nurse and the interpreter are not available at the same time, which can lead to delays in patient care. Remote video interpretation eliminates interpreter travel time, essentially providing an “on demand” service via a computer cart that can be rolled from room to room while the interpreter sits at a terminal elsewhere

Video: www.uci.edu/video/videointerpreter/