Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 26, 2026
Workflow and Framework for Collecting and Implementing Point-of-Care Ultrasound Data in the Management of Heart Failure Patients
Published on: July 12, 2024
Clinical Workflow Associated with Spanish-Speaking Patient Encounters at JayDoc Community Clinic-Wichita: A Quality
Leah C Duncan1, Wyel Halimeh1, Dania Jumpa1
1The University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Wichita, Kansas.
Introduction:
JayDoc Community Clinic-Wichita is a student-run free clinic serving a predominantly Spanish-speaking patient population. Authors of this study evaluated whether interpreter staffing represents a potentially modifiable systems-level factor associated with clinic workflow.
Methods:
This retrospective observational quality improvement evaluation included 715 patient encounters nested within 128 clinic sessions at JayDoc from November 2023 to July 2025. Encounter-level workflow differences by Spanish-speaking status were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models accounting for clustering within clinic sessions and adjusting for clinic day. Clinic-session-level multivariable linear regression evaluated associations among Spanish-speaking patient volume, in-person interpreter staffing, and clinic workflow.
Results:
After accounting for clustering and clinic day, Spanish-speaking encounters were 5.3 minutes longer than non-Spanish-speaking encounters, although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.065). Spanish-speaking encounters had significantly longer medical preparation time (adjusted mean difference, 2.57 minutes; 95% CI, 0.83 to 4.31; p = 0.004) and wait-to-present time (adjusted mean difference, 3.46 minutes; 95% CI, 0.47 to 6.45; p = 0.024). At the clinic-session level, each additional Spanish-speaking patient was associated with a 6.7-minute increase in clinic-session duration after controlling for total patient volume and interpreter staffing (p <0.001). Each 1-unit increase in the Spanish-speaking patient-to-interpreter ratio was associated with a 3.72-minute increase in clinic-session duration (p = 0.052).
Conclusions:
Spanish-speaking encounters had longer medical preparation and wait-to-present times, while greater Spanish-speaking patient volume was associated with longer clinic-session duration. In-person interpreter staffing was not independently associated with session duration. These findings support further evaluation of strategies to better align interpreter resources with patient needs.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Patient-centered Care
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
01:15Nursing Implementation
The five steps to implementing effective nursing care include reassessing the patient, reviewing and revising the existing nursing care plan, organizing the resources and care delivery, anticipating and preventing complications, and implementing nursing interventions.
01:20Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning, patient...
01:24Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching II: Planning and Implementation