• Nathalia Jimenez, Gerardo Moreno, Mei Leng, Dedra Buchwald, and Leo S Morales.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. njimen@uw.edu
• J Gen Intern Med. 2012 Dec 1; 27 (12): 160216081602-8.

BackgroundAssessment and treatment of pain are based largely on patient's self reports. Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) may have difficulties communicating their pain symptoms in the presence of language barriers.ObjectiveTo determine whether interpreter use was associated with quality of acute pain treatment among Latina patients with limited English proficiency.DesignSecondary analysis of two cross-sectional surveys.ParticipantsOne hundred and eighty-five Latino female patients hospitalized for obstetric and gynecological care who required interpreter services. Patients were classified into two groups according to interpreter availability ('Always' and 'Not Always' available).Main MeasuresQuality of pain treatment was measured by patient report of 1) overall level of pain control during hospitalization; 2) timeliness of pain treatment; and 3) perceived provider helpfulness to treat pain.Key ResultsPatients who always received interpreters were more likely to report higher levels of pain control (P=0.02), timely pain treatment (P=0.02), and greater perceived provider helpfulness to treat their pain (P=0.005), compared with patients who not always received interpreters.ConclusionUse of interpreters by LEP patients was associated with better patient reports on quality of pain treatment, and may also improve clinical interactions related to pain.

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