BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined whether patients with language barriers receive worse hospital care in terms of quality or efficiency. OBJECTIVE: : To examine whether patients' primary language influences hospital outcomes. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational cohort of urban university hospital general medical admissions between July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2003. PATIENTS: Eighteen years old or older whose hospital data included information on their primary language, specifically English, Russian, Spanish or Chinese. MEASUREMENTS: Hospital costs, length of stay (LOS), and odds for 30-day readmission or 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Of 7023 admitted patients, 84% spoke English, 8% spoke Chinese, 4% Russian and 4% Spanish. In multivariable models, non-English and English speakers had statistically similar total cost, LOS, and odds for mortality. However, non-English speakers had higher adjusted odds of readmission (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.7). Higher odds for readmission persisted for Chinese and Spanish speakers when compared to all English speakers (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.3 and OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0-2.3 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: After accounting for socioeconomic variables and comorbidities, non-English speaking Latino and Chinese patients have higher risk for readmission. Whether language barriers produce differences in readmission or are a marker for less access to post-hospital care remains unclear. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2010;5:276-282. (c) 2010 Society of Hospital Medicine.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined whether patients with language barriers receive worse hospital care in terms of quality or efficiency. OBJECTIVE: : To examine whether patients' primary language influences hospital outcomes. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational cohort of urban university hospital general medical admissions between July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2003. PATIENTS: Eighteen years old or older whose hospital data included information on their primary language, specifically English, Russian, Spanish or Chinese. MEASUREMENTS: Hospital costs, length of stay (LOS), and odds for 30-day readmission or 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Of 7023 admitted patients, 84% spoke English, 8% spoke Chinese, 4% Russian and 4% Spanish. In multivariable models, non-English and English speakers had statistically similar total cost, LOS, and odds for mortality. However, non-English speakers had higher adjusted odds of readmission (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.7). Higher odds for readmission persisted for Chinese and Spanish speakers when compared to all English speakers (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.3 and OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0-2.3 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: After accounting for socioeconomic variables and comorbidities, non-English speaking Latino and Chinese patients have higher risk for readmission. Whether language barriers produce differences in readmission or are a marker for less access to post-hospital care remains unclear. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2010;5:276-282. (c) 2010 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Authors: Jonathan S Lee; Anna Nápoles; Sunita Mutha; Eliseo J Pérez-Stable; Steven E Gregorich; Jennifer Livaudais-Toman; Leah S Karliner Journal: Patient Educ Couns Date: 2017-07-24
Authors: Wagahta Semere; Anna María Nápoles; Steven Gregorich; Jennifer Livaudais-Toman; Leah Karliner Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2019-06-24 Impact factor: 5.128
Authors: Jonathan S Lee; Eliseo J Pérez-Stable; Steven E Gregorich; Michael H Crawford; Adrienne Green; Jennifer Livaudais-Toman; Leah S Karliner Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2017-02-09 Impact factor: 5.128
Authors: Seethalakshmi H Davis; Julia Rosenberg; Jenny Nguyen; Manuel Jimenez; K Casey Lion; Gabriela Jenicek; Harry Dallmann; Katherine Yun Journal: Hosp Pediatr Date: 2019-10