Medical Interpreters Are Needed To Assist With Discharge Instructions

Medical Interpreters are needed in the healthcare industry primarily to increase positve treatment outcomes (access) for LEP (limited English proficiency) patients.  However, treatment is never complete unless the outcomes of said treatment is a positve one.  LEP patient understanding of discharge instructions is pivotal in completing the treatment process.

Healthcare providers are constantly revisiting this topic in order to increase the positve outcomes when treating LEP patients. The Medical Interpreter is the key to increasing the treatment outcomes for LEP patients after discharge from a healthcare facility.  However, hospital staff and interpreters must work together to insure that discharge instructions are understood.  In addition,  both parties must work together to followup with patients after being discharged from the healthcare facility.

Studies point to the need for continued work where discharge instructions is concerned.  Patient understanding and follow through is extremely important and related to increasing positive treatment outcomes.  Healthcare providers must do more and involve the Medical Interpreter in the process of developing new strategies for addressing this issue.

The following is the outcome of a study related to the understanding of discharge instructions by LEP patients. Please review it and share the data. I'm certain you will agree that new strategies are needed.

Language barriers and understanding of hospital discharge instructions.

Karliner LS, Auerbach A, Nápoles A, Schillinger D, Nickleach D, Pérez-Stable EJ.

Source

Department of Medicine, Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations, Division of General Internal Medicine, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Effective communication at hospital discharge is necessary for an optimal transition and to avoid adverse events. We investigated the association of a language barrier with patient understanding of discharge instructions.

METHODS:

Spanish-speaking, Chinese-speaking, and English-speaking patients admitted to 2 urban hospitals between 2005 and 2008, comparing patient understanding of follow-up appointment type, and medication category and purpose between limited English-proficient (LEP) and English-proficient patients.

RESULTS:

Of the 308 patients, 203 were LEP. Rates of understanding were low overall for follow-up appointment type (56%) and the 3 medication outcomes (category 48%, purpose 55%, both 41%). In unadjusted analysis, LEP patients were less likely than English-proficient patients to know appointment type (50% vs. 66%; P=0.01), medication category (45% vs. 54%; P=0.05), and medication category and purpose combined (38% vs. 47%; P=0.04), but equally likely to know medication purpose alone. These results persisted in the adjusted models for medication outcomes: LEP patients had lower odds of understanding medication category (odds ratio 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.42-0.95); and category/purpose (odds ratio 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.89).

CONCLUSIONS:

Understanding of appointment type and medications after discharge was low, with LEP patients demonstrating worse understanding of medications. System interventions to improve communication at hospital discharge for all patients, and especially those with LEP, are needed.

PMID:

 

22411441

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] 

PMCID:

 

PMC3311126

 [Available on 2013/4/1]

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