Journal of general internal medicine
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Little is known about the quality of the patient-physician relationship for terminally ill African Americans. ⋯ Lower reported patient-physician relationship quality for African-American patients does not explain the observed differences between African Americans and whites in ACP and preferences for LST.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Patient satisfaction with different interpreting methods: a randomized controlled trial.
Growth of the foreign-born population in the U.S. has led to increasing numbers of limited-English-proficient (LEP) patients. Innovative medical interpreting strategies, including remote simultaneous medical interpreting (RSMI), have arisen to address the language barrier. This study evaluates the impact of interpreting method on patient satisfaction. ⋯ While not a substitute for language-concordant providers, RSMI can improve patient satisfaction and privacy among LEP patients. Implementing RSMI should be considered an important component of a multipronged approach to addressing language barriers in health care.
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Comparative Study
Primary language and receipt of recommended health care among Hispanics in the United States.
Disparities in health care services between Hispanics and whites in the United States are well documented. ⋯ Speaking a language other than English at home identified Hispanics at risk for not receiving recommended health care services, whether they were comfortable in speaking English or not. Identifying the mechanism for disparities by language usage may lead to interventions to reduce ethnic disparities.
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Comparative Study
The impact of language barriers on documentation of informed consent at a hospital with on-site interpreter services.
Informed consent is legally and ethically required before invasive non-emergent procedures. Language barriers make obtaining informed consent more complex. ⋯ Despite the availability of on-site professional interpreter services, hospitalized patients who do not speak English are less likely to have documentation of informed consent for common invasive procedures. Hospital quality initiatives should consider monitoring informed consent for LEP patients.
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Provider-patient language discordance is related to worse quality care for limited English proficient (LEP) patients who speak Spanish. However, little is known about language barriers among LEP Asian-American patients. ⋯ Language barriers are associated with less health education, worse interpersonal care, and lower patient satisfaction. Having access to a clinic interpreter can facilitate the transmission of health education. However, in terms of patients' ratings of their providers and the quality of interpersonal care, having an interpreter present does not serve as a substitute for language concordance between patient and provider.