Stories from COVID-19 Reveal Hospitalized Patients with Limited English Proficiency Have Always Been Uniquely Prone to Social Isolation.

Through experiences with hospital visitor restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of frontline trainees at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) uncovered patient stories highlighting the unique challenges that patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) face in the hospital, particularly their vulnerability to social isolation. Here, we recount patient stories illustrative of this isolation, generated by insufficient professional interpreter use, ad hoc interpretation, and scarcity of media in preferred languages. When confronted with the social isolation faced by all patients during COVID-19, we more clearly saw the healthcare disparities affecting patients with LEP. A trainee-led videoconferencing initiative facilitating social calls between patients at UCSF and their loved ones proved especially helpful in reducing the disconnection that patients with LEP experience in the hospital. Motivated by the findings of this project, we advocate for other institutions to take similar action, such as hiring inpatient telehealth navigators and providing tablets for ad lib use. Enacting these changes will keep patients with LEP connected to their families and communities while in the hospital, an essential step towards establishing an equitable experience for patients with LEP.

Response to language barriers with patients from refugee background in general practice in Australia: findings from the OPTIMISE study.

BACKGROUND: Language is a barrier to many patients from refugee backgrounds accessing and receiving quality primary health care. This paper examines the way general practices address these barriers and how this changed following a practice facilitation intervention. METHODS: The OPTIMISE study was a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial set within 31 general practices in three urban regions in Australia with high refugee settlement. It involved a practice facilitation intervention addressing interpreter engagement as one of four core intervention areas. This paper analysed quantitative and qualitative data from the practices and 55 general practitioners from these, collected at baseline and after 6 months during which only those assigned to the early group received the intervention. RESULTS: Many practices (71 %) had at least one GP who spoke a language spoken by recent humanitarian entrants. At baseline, 48 % of practices reported using the government funded Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS). The role of reception staff in assessing and recording the language and interpreter needs of patients was well defined. However, they lacked effective systems to share the information with clinicians. After the intervention, the number of practices using the TIS increased. However, family members and friends continued to be used to interpret with GPs reporting patients preferred this approach. The extra time required to arrange and use interpreting services remained a major barrier. CONCLUSIONS: In this study a whole of practice facilitation intervention resulted in improvements in procedures for and engagement of interpreters. However, there were barriers such as the extra time required, and family members continued to be used. Based on these findings, further effort is needed to reduce the administrative burden and GP's opportunity cost needed to engage interpreters, to provide training for all staff on when and how to work with interpreters and discuss and respond to patient concerns about interpreting services.

Regional Variation in Diabetic Outcomes by Country-of-Origin and Language in an Urban Safety Net Hospital.

Adherence to diabetic care guidelines among US immigrants remains low. This study assesses adherence to diabetic care guidelines by country-of-origin and language among a limited English-proficient (LEP) population. Timely completion of diabetic measures and acceptable levels of hemoglobin A1c (A1c), low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and blood pressure (BP) were compared between LEP and English-proficient (EP) patients in this 2013 retrospective cohort study of adult diabetics. More LEP patients met BP targets (83 vs. 68 %, p < 0.0001) and obtained LDL targets (89 vs. 85 %, p = 0.0007); however, they had worse LDL control (57 vs. 62 %, p = 0.0011). Ethiopians and Somalians [adjusted OR (95 % CI) = 0.44 (0.30, 0.63)] were less likely than Latin Americans to meet BP goals. LEP patients outperformed EP peers on several diabetic outcomes measures with important variation between groups. These data highlight the success of a safety net hospital in improving diabetes management among diverse populations.

Identifying Spanish Language Competent Physicians: The Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE).

OBJECTIVES: Language barriers negatively impact health care access and quality for US immigrants. Latinos are the second largest immigrant group and the largest, fastest growing minority. Health care systems need simple, low cost and accurate tools that they can use to identify physicians with Spanish language competence. We sought to address this need by validating a simple and low-cost tool already in use in a major health plan. DESIGN SETTING PARTICIPANTS: A web-based survey conducted in 2012 among physicians caring for patients in a large, integrated health care delivery system. Of the 2,198 survey respondents, 111 were used in additional analysis involving patient report of those physicians' fluency. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We compared health care physicians' responses to a single item, Spanish language self-assessment tool (measuring "medical proficiency") with patient-reported physician language competence, and two validated physician self-assessment tools (measuring "fluency" and "confidence"). RESULTS: Concordance between medical proficiency was moderate with patient reports (weighted Kappa .45), substantial with fluency (weighted Kappa .76), and moderate-to-substantial with confidence (weighted Kappas .53 to .66). CONCLUSIONS: The single-question self-reported medical proficiency tool is a low-cost tool useful for quickly identifying Spanish competent physicians and is potentially suitable for use in clinical settings. A reasonable approach for health systems is to designate only those physicians who self-assess their Spanish medical proficiency as "high" as competent to provide care without an interpreter.

Association between interpreter use and small for gestational age infants.

BACKGROUND: Limited English proficiency is associated with worse health outcomes regardless of health literacy. Prior research suggests that using interpreter services for low English proficiency helps mitigate the language barrier, is associated with improved health outcomes, and patient satisfaction; however, obstetric and neonatal outcomes and pregnancy risks in this population are not well studied. OBJECTIVES: The primary purpose of this study was to determine if low English proficiency is an independent risk factor for small for gestational age infants by utilizing interpreter use as a proxy for low English proficiency. Due to the known challenges in communication with a language barrier and discrimination against people whose first language is not English, we hypothesized that this could result in an increase in high risk conditions in pregnancy such as SGA. Our hypothesis was that the need for an interpreter would be associated with having small for gestational age infants. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective cohort study at a single center using data between 1/1/2016 and 12/31/2021; we included singleton, live births ≥ 21 weeks gestation. We excluded multiple gestations, intrauterine fetal demise, and delivery < 21 weeks. The primary outcome was rate of small for gestational age. Small for gestational age was defined as birthweight < 10th percentile for gestational age using the 2018 Fenton newborn growth curve. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to control for confounding variables. RESULTS: Of the 26,260 patients included in the study, 71.3% were non-Hispanic White, 9.5% were Hispanic/Latino, and 7.9% were non-Hispanic Black. Overall, 1,662 (6.3%) patients utilized an interpreter. Over half (58.0%) of patients requesting interpreter services were Hispanic. In unadjusted analyses, the rate of small for gestational age was not different between patients who used interpreter services (n=106, 6.4%) and those who did not (n=1612, 6.6 %), P=.779. After adjusting for race/ethnicity, gravidity, gestational age, private insurance, diabetes, hypertension, and prepregnancy body mass index, the use of interpreter services was associated with decreased odds of small for gestational age (aOR 0.67, 95% CI 0.53-0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that use of an interpreter is associated with a lower incidence of small for gestational age when controlling for patient characteristics and social determinants of health. Additional research is required to explore this association, but our results indicate that recognizing demographic risk factors and providing patients with social resources such as access to interpreter services may positively impact obstetric and neonatal outcomes.

Association Between Language Use and ICU Transfer and Serious Adverse Events in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients Who Experience Rapid Response Activation.

Background: Hospitalized patients and caregivers who use a language other than English have worse health outcomes, including longer length of stay, more frequent readmissions, and increased rates of in-hospital adverse events. Children who experience clinical deterioration (as measured by a Rapid Response Team event) during a hospitalization are at increased risk for adverse events and mortality. Methods: We describe the results of a retrospective cohort study using hospital records at a free-standing, quaternary children's hospital, to examine the association of language of care with outcomes (transfer to intensive care, adverse event, mortality prior to discharge) following Rapid Response Team event, and whether increased interpreter use among patients who use a language other than English is associated with improved outcomes following Rapid Response Team event. Results: In adjusted models, Rapid Response Team events for patients who use a language other than English were associated with higher transfer rates to intensive care (RR 1.1, 95% CI 1.01, 1.21), but not with adverse event or mortality. Among patients who use a language other than English, use of 1-2 interpreted sessions per day was associated with lower transfer rates to intensive care compared to use of less than one interpreted session per day (RR 0.79, 95% 0.66, 0.95). Conclusion: Rapid Response Team events for hospitalized children of families who use a language other than English are more often followed by transfer to intensive care, compared with Rapid Response Team events for children of families who use English. Improved communication with increased interpreter use for hospitalized children who use a language other than English may lead to improvements in Rapid Response Team outcomes.

The Use and Impact of Professional Interpretation in a Pediatric Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) experience worse health care outcomes compared to English proficient (EP) patients, and professional interpretation is underutilized in clinical settings. The objectives of this study were to describe patterns of interpreter use in a pediatric emergency department (ED), to determine factors associated with its use, and to examine differences in outcomes between EP families and those with LEP. METHODS: ED encounters for LEP and EP patients were reviewed in a retrospective cohort study design over a 15 month period. Generalized estimating equations were used to compare patient encounters and factors associated with interpreter use. RESULTS: Interpreter use for families who preferred a non-English language was 45.4%. Use of interpretation was less likely during busier times of day (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, confidence interval [CI] 0.78-0.93), with a lower triage acuity (OR 0.66, CI 0.62-0.70), and with each increasing year of patient age (OR 0.97, CI 0.96-0.98). LEP patients who did not receive interpretation were less likely to be admitted than EP patients (OR 0.69, 0.62-0.78). Patients of LEP families, with or without interpretation, were more likely to be transferred to the ICU within 24 hours of admission than patients of EP families (OR 1.76, 1.07-2.90; 1.85, 1.08-3.18) suggesting that an aspect of clinical severity may have been missed in the ED. CONCLUSIONS: Professional interpretation is currently underutilized in this ED for patients with LEP, and important differences in outcomes exist between LEP and EP patients. Factors associated with interpreter use will inform ongoing improvement efforts.

Partnering With Interpreter Services: Standardized Patient Cases to Improve Communication With Limited English Proficiency Patients.

Introduction: As the number of patients with limited English proficiency grows, there is increasing awareness in the medical community about disparities in health outcomes for this population. The proper use of professional medical interpreters improves communication between physicians and patients with limited English proficiency. Typically, however, little curricular time in medical training is devoted to this competency. Methods: We developed a two-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in which learners worked with interpreters to conduct medical interviews with Spanish-speaking standardized patients (SPs). Cases were designed for use with residents from any medical specialty and to have personal and emotional richness in keeping with the real-life circumstances of many patients. Twelve residents from six medical specialties completed a session evaluation and were assessed by faculty, SPs, and interpreters using existing validated instruments and case-specific checklists. Results: All residents reported that the cases mimicked real patient encounters. The checklists were well received and easy to use. While scores varied between residents, deficiencies were identified in basic communication skills for interacting with a non-English-speaking SP through an interpreter, including maintaining proper eye contact and open body posture with patients and introducing and clearly articulating the role of the interpreter. Discussion: A two-station OSCE utilizing professional medical interpreters and Spanish-speaking SPs was well received by all participants. Residents' scores helped identify common skill gaps in their work with interpreters. Based on the success of the pilot deployment, we plan to target educational interventions at these common deficiencies and offer the OSCE to more trainees.

Professional Interpreter Use and Discharge Communication in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

OBJECTIVE: Families with limited English proficiency (LEP) experience communication barriers and are at risk for adverse events after discharge from the pediatric emergency department (ED). We sought to describe the characteristics of ED discharge communication for LEP families and to assess whether the use of a professional interpreter was associated with provider communication quality during ED discharge. METHODS: Transcripts of video-recorded ED visits for Spanish-speaking LEP families were obtained from a larger study comparing professional interpretation modalities in a freestanding children's hospital. Caregiver-provider communication interactions that included discharge education were analyzed for content and for the techniques that providers used to assess caregiver comprehension. Regression analysis was used to assess for an association between professional interpreter use and discharge education content or assessment of caregiver comprehension. RESULTS: We analyzed 101 discharge communication interactions from 47 LEP patient visits; 31% of communications did not use professional interpretation. Although most patients (70%) received complete discharge education content, only 65% received instructions on medication dosing, and only 55% were given return precautions. Thirteen percent of the patient visits included an open-ended question to assess caregiver comprehension, and none included teach-back. Professional interpreter use was associated with greater odds of complete discharge education content (odds ratio [OR], 7.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-37.0) and high-quality provider assessment of caregiver comprehension (OR, 6.1; 95% CI, 2.3-15.9). CONCLUSIONS: Professional interpreter use is associated with superior provider discharge communication behaviors. This study identifies clear areas for improving discharge communication, which may improve safety and outcomes for LEP children discharged from the ED.

Does English proficiency impact on health outcomes for inpatients undergoing stroke rehabilitation?

PURPOSE: To determine whether English proficiency and/or the frequency of interpreter use impacts on health outcomes for inpatient stroke rehabilitation. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. PARTICIPANTS: People admitted for inpatient stroke rehabilitation. A high English proficiency group comprised people with native or near native English proficiency (n = 80), and a low English proficiency group comprised people who preferred a language other than English (n = 80). OUTCOME MEASURES: Length of stay (LOS), discharge destination and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). RESULTS: The low English proficiency group showed a greater improvement in FIM from admission to discharge (p = 0.04). No significant differences were found between groups in LOS, discharge destination and number of encounters with allied health professionals. Increased interpreter usage improved FIM efficiency but did not significantly alter other outcomes. CONCLUSION: English proficiency does not appear to impact on health outcomes in inpatient rehabilitation with a primarily in-house professional interpreter service. However, there is a need for a larger powered study to confirm these findings. Implications for rehabilitation People with low English proficiency undergoing inpatient stroke rehabilitation in a setting with a primarily in-house professional interpreter service, achieved similar outcomes to those with high English proficiency irrespective of frequency of interpreter usage. A non-significant increase of 4 days length of stay was observed in the low English proficiency group compared to the high English proficiency group. For patients with low English proficiency, greater change in Functional Independence Measure efficiency scores was observed for those with higher levels of interpreter use relative to those with low interpreter use. Clinicians should optimise use of interpreters with patients with low English proficiency when possible.

The Effects of Interpreter Use on Agreement Between Clinician- and Self-Ratings of Functioning in Hispanic Integrated Care Patients.

This study explored whether concordance between self- and clinician- assessment of functioning differs when an interpreter is used in therapy versus when there is language congruence between the clinician and the patient, and whether concordance is affected by patient distress. Participants were 418 Spanish-speaking patients seen at one of three primary care clinics. Patients were primarily Hispanic (94 %), uninsured (65 %), and female (84 %), and ranged in age from 18 to 73 years (M = 41.70, SD = 10.70). Pearson's correlation coefficients assessed the association between self- and clinician- reports of patient functioning with and without use of an interpreter. Fisher's z transformations assessed the significance of the difference between the correlation coefficients. Although interpreter use did not significantly disrupt communication of functioning when the patient was highly distressed, there was significant discordance in clinician and patient reports in patients experiencing milder levels of distress communicating by means of an interpreter.

Interpreting at the End of Life: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Interpreters on the Delivery of Palliative Care Services to Cancer Patients With Limited English Proficiency.

CONTEXT: Language barriers can influence the health quality and outcomes of limited English proficiency (LEP) patients at end of life, including symptom assessment and utilization of hospice services. OBJECTIVES: To determine how professional medical interpreters influence the delivery of palliative care services to LEP patients. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the literature in all available languages of six databases from 1960 to 2014. Studies evaluated use of language services for LEP patients who received palliative care services. Data were abstracted from 10 articles and collected on study design, size, comparison groups, outcomes, and interpreter characteristics. RESULTS: Six qualitative and four quantitative studies assessed the use of interpreters in palliative care. All studies found that the quality of care provided to LEP patients receiving palliative services is influenced by the type of interpreter used. When professional interpreters were not used, LEP patients and families had inadequate understanding about diagnosis and prognosis during goals of care conversations, and patients had worse symptom management at the end of life, including pain and anxiety. Half of the studies concluded that professional interpreters were not used adequately, and several studies suggested that premeetings between clinicians and interpreters were important to discuss topics and terminology to be used during goals of care discussions. CONCLUSION: LEP patients had worse quality of end-of-life care and goals of care discussions when professional interpreters were not used. More intervention studies are needed to improve the quality of care provided to LEP patients and families receiving palliative services.

Working with interpreters: how student behavior affects quality of patient interaction when using interpreters.

BACKGROUND: Despite the prevalence of medical interpreting in the clinical environment, few medical professionals receive training in best practices when using an interpreter. We designed and implemented an educational workshop on using interpreters as part of the cultural competency curriculum for second year medical students (MSIIs) at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, to evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop and second, if deficiencies are found, to investigate whether the deficiencies affected the quality of the patient encounter when using an interpreter. METHODS: A total of 152 MSIIs completed the 3-hour workshop and a 1-station objective-structured clinical examination, 8 weeks later to assess skills. Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests were used to assess workshop effectiveness. RESULTS: Based on a passing score of 70%, 39.4% of the class failed. Two skills seemed particularly problematic: assuring confidentiality (missed by 50%) and positioning the interpreter (missed by 70%). While addressing confidentiality did not have a significant impact on standardized patient satisfaction, interpreter position did. CONCLUSION: Instructing the interpreter to sit behind the patient helps sustain eye contact between clinician and patient, while assuring confidentiality is a tenet of quality clinical encounters. Teaching students and faculty to emphasize both is warranted to improve cross-language clinical encounters.