• James Douglas, Pavitra Delpachitra, Eldho Paul, Forbes McGain, and David Pilcher.
• The Department of Intensive Care Medicine, The Alfred Hospital, Prahran, Victoria, 3181, Australia. Electronic address: james.sholto.douglas@gmail.com.
• J Crit Care. 2014 Oct 1;29(5):769-74.

PurposeThe relationship between English proficiency and health care outcomes in intensive care has rarely been examined. This study aimed to determine whether being a non-English speaker would predict mortality in a critical care setting. Secondary end points were intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay.Materials And MethodsThis is a single-center, retrospective, cohort study of admissions from January 1, 2000 until December 31, 2011 in a tertiary level intensive care setting in Melbourne, Australia. All admissions during the study period were included. Patients without language data were excluded. Of those with multiple admissions, only the first was included. Analysis of 20082 ICU admissions was undertaken, of which 19059 (94.9%) were English speakers.ResultsAfter adjusting for confounding variables (age, severity of illness, diagnostic group, year of admission, and socioeconomic status), English-speaking status was independently associated with an increased risk of death (odds ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence interval 1.46-2.49; P < .001). There was no difference in ICU length of stay between groups. Hospital length of stay was shorter for English speakers.ConclusionContrary to expectations, this large single-center study shows a consistent relationship between non-English-speaking status and increased survival after admission to ICU.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

24 keywords...

hide…