Use and effectiveness of interpreters in an emergency department

Article Abstract:

Interpreters are often not used for Spanish-speaking patients, even when a patient believes there is a need for one. Researchers interviewed 467 native Spanish-speaking and 63 English-speaking Latino patients after admission to a Los Angeles area emergency department with nonurgent medical conditions. Although 26% of Spanish-speaking patients had an interpreter, another 22% said that one was needed. When the patient's English and the clinician's Spanish were both poor, an interpreter was absent 34% of the time, and 87% of the patients in this situation said one was needed. Although patients who thought an interpreter was necessary had a better perceived understanding of their diagnosis and treatment when an interpreter was provided, objective measures suggested that their understanding was not actually any better. Patients who did not think an interpreter was necessary had a similarly poor understanding.

Usage, Evaluation, Emergency medical services, Discrimination in medical care, Medical care discrimination, Spanish language in the United States, Spanish language, Translators (Persons)

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Inadequate functional health literacy among patients at two public hospitals

Article Abstract:

It appears that many indigent, minority patients at urban, public hospitals cannot read well enough to cooperate in their health care. Researchers evaluated 2,659 patients at two large city hospitals using the Functional Health Literacy in Adults. The test measured the patients' ability to understand a Medicaid application, an informed consent document, clinic appointment slips, financial information forms, blood glucose tests, and prescriptions. Thirty-five percent of 979 patients at an Atlanta, GA, hospital were considered functionally illiterate. In a Los Angeles, CA, hospital, 42% of the 767 Spanish speaking patients and 12.5% of the 913 English-speaking patients were considered functionally illiterate. Functional illiteracy among the elderly patients in both hospitals ranged between 48% to 80.5%, putting them at increased risk for more hospitalizations and adverse drug reactions.

Health aspects, Medical care, Minorities, Literacy, Health education

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Deficits in communication and information transfer between hospital-based and primary care physicians: Implications for patient safety and continuity of care

Article Abstract:

A systematic review of relevant data was performed to assess the prevalence of deficits in communication and information transfer between hospital-based and primary care physicians at hospital discharge. It was concluded that such deficits are common and might adversely affect patient care, while interventions like computer-generated summaries and standardized formats might rectify the defect.

United States, Management dynamics, Methods, Technology application, Patients, Hospitals, Patient care, Company business management, Communication in medicine, Medical communication, Hospital admission and discharge

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