All-Domain Complexity of Video Remote Interpreting in Maternity Care: A NASSS Analysis

Citation

Li L (2026) All-Domain Complexity of Video Remote Interpreting in Maternity Care: A NASSS Analysis. INTERPRETING: International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting. https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.00137.li

Abstract
Inadequate interpreting services contribute to maternal health disparities among women who require support. Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) has been promoted as a solution, yet its implementation and sustained uptake remain uneven and poorly understood. This study draws on the nonadoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, and sustainability (NASSS) framework to examine the challenges shaping VRI use within NHS maternity care. The study analyses a mixed-methods dataset involving women requiring interpreting support and their families, support workers, maternity professionals, interpreters, bilingual health advocates, language service providers, trainers, and a commissioner. Data sources included interviews, surveys, ethnographic observations, a focus group, and documentary materials. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and integrated with descriptive statistics across NASSS domains. The analysis shows that VRI adoption is shaped by interrelated challenges spanning NASSS domains, including unpredictable demand, technological constraints, contested value propositions, adopter training challenges, and organisational, regulatory, and workforce factors. The findings suggest that linguistic diversity functions as a complexity multiplier that amplifies and interconnects implementation challenges across domains, while the effectiveness of VRI depends on the sustainability and governance of the interpreter workforce. These findings highlight the need for ecosystem-level coordination addressing linguistic, organisational, workforce, and technological dimensions of interpreting-assisted maternity care.

Keywords
video remote interpreting; maternity care; NASSS framework; all-domain complexity; healthcare interpreting

Journal
INTERPRETING: International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting

• All-domain complexity of video remote interpreting in maternity care: A NASSS analysis