Nativity and Perceived Healthcare Quality

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Disparities
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Perceptions of healthcare quality differ between US-born and foreign-born populations.
• Understanding the reasons for this disparity is crucial for equitable healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify explanations for lower perceived healthcare quality among foreign-born individuals compared to US-born individuals.
• To explore factors influencing healthcare quality perceptions in diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 6202 respondents (5425 US-born, 777 foreign-born) from the Health Information National Trends Survey 4 (2011-2013).
• Comparison of perceived healthcare quality, provider communication, and continuity of care between foreign-born and US-born groups.

Main Results:

• Foreign-born respondents reported lower perceived healthcare quality than US-born respondents.
• Less patient-centered provider communication explained 19.5% of this disparity.
• Patient-centered communication positively impacted perceived quality for all respondents.
• Having a regular provider was linked to perceived quality for foreign-born individuals, while frequency of care was linked for US-born.

Conclusions:

• Patient-centered provider communication is a significant factor influencing healthcare quality perceptions, particularly for foreign-born individuals.
• Continuity of care, specifically having a regular provider, may be important for improving healthcare quality perceptions among foreign-born populations.
• Targeting communication and continuity of care can help reduce healthcare quality disparities.