• Neeraj Chhabra, Errick Christian, Veronika Seseri, Faith George, and Lum Rizvanolli.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Cook County Health, Chicago, Illinois; University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
• J Emerg Med. 2023 Sep 1; 65 (3): e172e179e172-e179.

BackgroundPatients with limited English proficiency (LEP) are at risk for communication barriers during medical care in the United States compared with English-proficient (EP) patients. It is unknown how EP affects the utilization of advanced diagnostic imaging (ADI) in the emergency department (ED).ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the acquisition and findings of ADI in EP and LEP patients with abdominal symptoms.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of adult ED patients from January 2015 to January 2016. Patients were divided into EP and LEP cohorts. Logistic regression models incorporated language proficiency, interpretation method, and demographic characteristics. We determined crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the acquisition of ADI, defined as either computed tomography or ultrasound, and the proportion with actionable findings.ResultsIn 3324 encounters (2134 EP; 1190 LEP), LEP patients were older (46.3 years vs. 43.8 years), more likely to be female (66.7% vs. 51.5%), and preferred Spanish (91.4%). ADI was obtained in 43.5% of EP and 48.1% of LEP. Adjusting for age, sex, and interpretation method, the OR was 1.09 (95% CI 0.90-1.32). There were no significant associations between interpretation type and acquisition of ADI. The proportion with actionable findings were similar in EP and LEP cohorts (29.6% vs. 26.7%).ConclusionsAccounting for demographic differences, ADI acquisition was similar for ED patients with and without LEP. Further research is needed to determine optimal interpretation modalities in this setting to prevent unnecessary imaging.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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