Limited English Proficiency can Negatively Impact Disease/Treatment in Children With Cancer Compared to Those Who are English Proficient-an Institutional Study
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Limited English proficiency (LEP) in pediatric cancer patients is linked to more hospital admissions and emergency visits. However, survival rates were similar between LEP and English-proficient children.
Area Of Science
- Pediatric Oncology
- Health Disparities
- Linguistic Accessibility in Healthcare
Background
- Limited English proficiency (LEP) affects millions in the US, with known negative impacts on adult healthcare outcomes.
- Previous research indicates LEP is associated with longer hospital stays, adverse events, and medication misunderstanding in adults.
- The impact of LEP on pediatric oncology patient outcomes remains underexplored.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate the relationship between limited English proficiency (LEP) and treatment outcomes in pediatric cancer patients.
- To compare healthcare experiences and clinical outcomes between LEP and English-proficient (EP) pediatric oncology populations.
- To identify potential disparities in care related to language barriers in pediatric cancer treatment.
Main Methods
- A matched case-control study was conducted using data from an institutional cancer database (2012-2021).
- LEP pediatric patients (children ≤18 years) were matched by disease and stage with English-proficient (EP) patients.
- Descriptive, univariate, and bivariate analyses were performed to compare outcomes.
Main Results
- The study identified 24 LEP children matched with 77 EP children, representing 11 languages (42% Spanish).
- LEP children showed a trend towards increased unexpected hospital admissions (p=0.04), clinic cancellations (p=0.003), and emergency department visits (p=0.05).
- LEP children were more likely to have Medicaid insurance (p<0.001), but no significant difference in 2-year event-free or overall survival was observed.
Conclusions
- LEP families in this pediatric oncology cohort experienced more negative treatment-related events compared to EP families.
- While survival was not impacted, language barriers are associated with increased healthcare utilization and potential treatment disruptions.
- Further research is necessary to identify specific causes and develop targeted interventions to mitigate these disparities.
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