Communication pitfalls in interpreted genetic counseling sessions.

The impact of language interpretation on interactive communication in genetic counseling sessions is not well studied. We sought to determine whether interpretation affects communication in genetic counseling sessions using communication analysis. With a sample of pregnant patients of advanced maternal age, we audiotaped, analyzed, and compared seven Spanish-speaking patients with limited-English proficiency to seven English-speaking patients on length of session, English words spoken, and number of questions asked.