Designing a Multilingual Instructional Language Tool for Patient Communication in Interventional Radiology

Authors

Samuel Almodóvar, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Ahlam Houssein, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Gregg Khodorov, MD, MBA, Thomas Jefferson University HospitalFollow
Sahib Sohal, MD, Thomas Jefferson University HospitalFollow
Robert Pugliese, PharmD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
David Dwyer, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

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Description

Introduction: Current efforts to provide language-inclusive radiological care fall short, resulting in suboptimal imaging, increased procedural time, and greater radiation exposure. Inadequate language accessibility results in poor communication, suboptimal care, and increased patient dissatisfaction. A digital language tool was developed to provide patient instructions during interventional radiology (IR) procedures, addressing this gap and enhancing patient care.

Methods: Observations were carried out to better understand workflow during IR procedures and identify how to incorporate the tool. We conducted interviews with IR physicians, nurses, and technologists to gather common procedural phrases and patient instructions. Spanish and Mandarin were selected because they are the most commonly spoken non-English languages among patients seen at an academic medical center in a large urban area.

Results: We developed a digital language tool that plays pre-recorded audio files of instructions in Spanish and Mandarin aloud. The tool organizes thirty-two phrases in each language into sequential pre-, peri-, and post-procedural slides. IR technologists prompt the tool to play phrases as needed throughout the procedure.

Conclusions: This tool enables staff to interact with patients who speak Spanish and Mandarin as their primary language in an innovative way during IR procedures. We predict it will enhance patient-physician communication, promote equitable care, and improve patient safety. Future research will focus on evaluating the usability of the tool; patient outcomes, including procedural time and radiation exposure; image quality; and IR staff and patient experiences. This tool will be expanded to include other commonly spoken languages to minimize language inaccessibility for a broader set of patients.

Publication Date

2-2-2026

Keywords

language barrier, health equity, health technology, digital health

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Radiology

Comments

Presented at the 2026 AOA Research Symposium.

Recommended Citation

Almodóvar, Samuel; Houssein, Ahlam; Khodorov, MD, MBA, Gregg; Sohal, MD, Sahib; Pugliese, PharmD, Robert; and Dwyer, MD, David, "Designing a Multilingual Instructional Language Tool for Patient Communication in Interventional Radiology" (2026). Alpha Omega Alpha Research Symposium Posters. 15.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/aoa_research_symposium_posters/15