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Inpatient care experiences differ by preferred language within racial/ethnic groups
Denise D Quigley1, Marc N Elliott1, Katrin Hambarsoomian1
1RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
Health Services Research
|January 8, 2019
Summary
Patient experiences in hospitals were worse for non-English speakers across racial and ethnic groups. Improving hospital access and care coordination for language minorities is crucial for equitable health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Health Equity
- Patient Experience
Background:
- Patient preferences for language significantly impact hospital care experiences.
- Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare are well-documented.
- Understanding language-based differences is key to improving care for diverse populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine patient experiences of hospital care based on preferred language within different racial/ethnic groups.
- To identify disparities in care related to language preference.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 2014-2015 HCAHPS survey data from over 5.4 million patients across 4517 hospitals.
- Compared six composite measures across seven languages and five racial/ethnic groups.
- Employed linear regression for patient-mix adjusted analyses of between- and within-hospital differences.
Main Results:
- Non-English-preferring patients consistently reported worse experiences than English-preferring patients within all racial/ethnic groups.
- Care coordination showed the largest and most consistent language-based disparities.
- Within-hospital language differences often exceeded between-hospital variations.
Conclusions:
- Language minorities face worse hospital experiences, particularly in care coordination.
- Interventions should focus on improving access to higher-quality hospitals for language minorities.
- Enhancing cultural competence and language-appropriate services in hospitals serving these populations is essential.
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