In most hospitals, patients are able to order food right from their bed by simply picking up the phone and placing an order. While that scenario might work well for English speaking patients, that process isn’t as effortless for the limited-English proficient (LEP) population.
In 2017, LEP patients at the GWU Hospital first required assistance from hospital staff to reach a GLOBO interpreter, who would then translate the menu, discuss dietary needs or restrictions with hospital staff, relay that information back to the patient, and then finally place the order.
Director of Patient Experience Ouida Barclay wasn’t satisfied with the convoluted process, so she started working on some ideas of her own. “I thought, ‘Why can’t I have this?’” Barclay recalls, “GLOBO said, ‘Well, let’s see.’”
Working together, GLOBO and GWU Hospital were able to come up with a solution to help LEP patients place orders more efficiently. Now, they're provided with a menu in their preferred language and a phone number which connects them directly to a GLOBO interpreter, who then places the order. “It cuts out so much time -- it’s seamless now,” Barclay says of the dietary line.
By streamlining the meal ordering process, hospital staff are able to attend to more urgent needs and LEP patients are afforded a simpler, more user-friendly experience.
“I can honestly say with all the hard work, I feel pleased with where we are today
and where we’re going to go.”
- Ouida Barclay, GWU Hospital Director of Patient Experience
Barclay says some of the best experiences she’s had with GLOBO are the visits from her Customer Success team.
“One of the major things I really appreciate about GLOBO is that they’re willing to come on site,” says Barclay. For her, that means “staying as long as needed” in order to walk to different sites on the hospital’s sprawling D.C. campus. “They’ve come in and made a difference.”
Describing the hands-on visits, Barclay noted the effort her Customer Success Manager has taken to make connections with staff in order to gain deeper insights. “That’s important for me because I represent not only our patients and our family members, but the staff also. I look at GLOBO as our partner all the way around.
“The people I’ve dealt with have been great individuals. It’s very encouraging,” says Barclay. “I feel pretty pleased with where we are today and where we’re going to go.”
Language support can be overwhelming. GLOBO simplifies it. Find out how.
