This study demonstrates that most self-declared English-speaking patients of Hispanic heritage have English-language competency using written tests of health literacy as a surrogate of English-language ability. However, a significant number of patients who state that they speak English do not possess sufficient English-language skills to communicate effectively with respect to their medical care. The study [...]
The major limitation of this study was the inability to directly assess a person’s verbal English. The use of a written test instead of an oral language test probably overestimated the number of patients who speak English, because verbal comprehension precedes written abilities. Although neither language competency test had been validated in the ED, the [...]
A total of 354 patients with Hispanic surnames were approached and asked if they spoke English, Spanish or both, in a convenience sample. Two-hundred-forty-nine patients were Spanish-only speakers, and 105 patients were self-declared bilingual. To ensure that the groups were not substantially different, a demographic comparison of the English speakers and non-English speakers was performed. [...]
Study Design and Setting The convenience study was performed in the ED of an inner-city, level-1 pediatric and adult trauma ED with 45,000 patient visits per year in a community teaching hospital with affiliated emergency medicine residencies. The ED serves a patient population of approximately 40% Hispanics and 50% African Americans. A research assistant approached [...]
INTRODUCTION Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority in America. The rise in minority populations, many of whom do not speak English, demands that healthcare institutions be able to communicate with these persons. The Office of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Civil Rights defines people with limited English proficiency (LEP) as those who cannot speak, [...]
