Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
12:18
A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: January 11, 2020
Language barriers surrounding medication use among older Latinos
Jan E Mutchler1, Gonzalo Bacigalupe, Antonia Coppin
1Gerontology Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125, USA. jan.mutchler@umb.edu
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology
|December 1, 2006
Summary
Limited English proficiency creates medication challenges for older Latinos. Strategies like using interpreters and seeking Spanish-speaking providers help overcome these language barriers in healthcare.
Area of Science:
- Health disparities
- Sociolinguistics
- Geriatric medicine
Background:
- Limited English proficiency (LEP) is a significant barrier for Latinos in healthcare settings.
- Understanding the relationship between English proficiency and medication use in older Latinos is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the impact of English language proficiency on medication management among older Latinos.
- To identify challenges and strategies related to language barriers in accessing and using medications.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative focus groups were conducted with Latino adults aged 50 and over in eastern Massachusetts.
- Interviews explored experiences with healthcare providers, pharmacies, and medication management.
Main Results:
- Language barriers significantly impede medication management for older Latinos.
- LEP is associated with feelings of discrimination in clinical and pharmacy environments.
- Effective communication in a shared language fosters trust and confidence in healthcare settings.
Conclusions:
- Addressing language barriers is essential for improving medication adherence and health outcomes in older Latino populations.
- Utilizing interpreters and seeking Spanish-speaking healthcare professionals and pharmacies are key strategies.
- Healthcare systems must implement culturally and linguistically appropriate services to reduce health disparities.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
The barriers to effective communication also include cultural barriers, semantic barriers, gender barriers, and time constraints.
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism
Geriatric patients show significant variation in how their bodies process medications, which can change how effective and safe treatments are. The liver is the primary organ where drug metabolism occurs, involving two main types of chemical reactions: phase I and II. Phase I metabolism is driven by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, which includes key types such as CYP3A, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9. Research indicates that while aging doesn't notably alter the levels or activity of these enzymes, it...
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...