Association Between Language, Interpreter Use, and Pediatric Surgical Outcomes
Nicole Chicoine1, Sarah Greenberg1, Dwight Barry2
1Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Seattle Children's Hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Box 356410, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Journal of Pediatric Surgery
|January 14, 2025
Summary
Pediatric patients with limited English proficiency face higher mortality risks after surgery. Interpreter use may reduce serious adverse events but not mortality, highlighting disparities in surgical care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Health Services Research
- Health Equity
Background:
- Existing research identifies disparities in pediatric surgical outcomes based on race, geography, and socioeconomic status.
- The impact of preferred language and interpreter utilization on pediatric surgical outcomes remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between preferred language, interpreter use, and 30-day post-operative mortality and serious adverse events (SAE) in pediatric surgical patients.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study included 56,655 pediatric surgical patients (ages 0-21) from 2016-2020.
- Languages were grouped; outcomes included 30-day mortality and SAE.
- Logistic regression and pairwise comparisons analyzed the relationship between language, interpreter use, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- Patients preferring languages other than English had significantly increased odds of mortality.
- English speakers had decreased odds of mortality compared to "Other" language speakers.
- Interpreter use correlated with reduced odds of SAE but not mortality.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric surgical patients with a linguistic minority preference face statistically significant increased odds of post-operative mortality.
- Further research is needed to address language-associated disparities in pediatric surgical care outcomes.
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