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Interpreting the Bottom Line: The Case for Language Services from the C-Suite

Addressing Language Barriers in Health Care, Asks "What's at Stake?"

Improving Quality of Health Care Relies on Effective Language Services

Journal of General Internal Medicine: Studies show importance of language services on disparities, quality of care

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health: Challenges in Language Services: Identifying and responding to patients’ needs

In Any Language: Improving the quality and availability of language services in hospitals

Patients Give Feedback on Language Services at Ten Hospitals

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Effective communication is an essential element of quality within the health care experience.  Those with limited English proficiency (LEP) are more likely to be presented with communication barriers in health care delivery situations.  Language service (LS) programs in health care organizations is one of the principle responses to addressing language barriers in the health care system, and it is important to evaluate the success of current practicing LS programs reaching LEP patients.

Below is a high-level overview of a study supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 

Objective: Identify characteristics of hospital-based LS, and describe practices of identifying patients with LEP and interpreter training.

Participants: Seventy-one hospitals applied to participate in a national initiative. Applicants were non-federal, acute care hospitals with substantial LEP populations, at least 10,000 discharges, and in-person interpreters.

Methods: Descriptive statistics were generated on language, collection of language data, LEP volume and service utilization, staffing and training requirements and organizational structure. The relationship between admissions and encounters was analyzed.

Results: Ninety percent of hospitals collect primary language data. Spanish is the most common language (93% of hospitals). We found no statistically significant correlation between admissions and encounters. Eighty-four percent require training. Eighty nine percent have a designated LS department but no clear organizational home.

Conclusions: Hospital-based LS programs are facing challenges identifying patients with language needs, staffing and training a workforce, and creating an organizational identity. Need is not associated with utilization, suggesting that LS are not reaching patients.

Download article: "Challenges in Language Services: Identifying and responding to patients’ needs"

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School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy.