The Joint Commission standard PC.02.01.21 EP 1 requires that "The hospital identifies the patient's oral and written communication needs, including the patient's preferred language for discussing health care. Note: Examples of communication needs include the need for personal devices such as hearing aids or glasses, language interpreters, communication boards, and translated or plain language materials."
Preferred language is available in EPIC Learning Assessment but does not meet our needs as our regulatory folks are telling us we need more specific questions such as: Do you have any visual impairments? If so, what kind? Do you have any hearing impairments? Do you wear hearing aids?
How do others capture this to meet TJC standard?
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Patty Hughes DNP RN NE-BC
Chief Nursing Officer, Ambulatory
UK HealthCare
Lexington KY
(859)323-4413
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