Interpreter services for immigrants in European healthcare systems: a systematic review of access barriers and facilitators.

This article systematically reviews immigrants' and healthcare professionals' experiences with barriers and facilitators to interpreter services in European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, and examines how these barriers affect quality of care. Key barriers identified include limited availability of qualified interpreters, restrictive policies involving user fees and entitlement, lack of awareness among patients and providers about rights to interpreter services, and healthcare professionals' attitudes toward using interpreters. Facilitators involve sufficient numbers of interpreters in needed languages, legal mandates ensuring interpreter access, and increased awareness and positive attitudes among healthcare staff and patients. The review highlights that unresolved language barriers can delay treatment, compromise patient safety, and reduce the quality and equity of healthcare for immigrants, emphasizing the need to align policy with practice by ensuring free, timely, and culturally appropriate interpreter services accessible to all immigrant patients.