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Use of a bilingual medical history questionnaire in the emergency department
Study Objective:
To demonstrate that a complete and rapid clinical history can be obtained using a self-administered, bilingual questionnaire.
Design:
A post-test experimental design was used to evaluate time spent obtaining the history and information completeness for the two groups.
Setting:
Urban county emergency department.
Participants:
All patients were non-English-speaking Hispanic women who presented with gynecologic complaints.
Methods:
Fifty-five patients completed a history questionnaire in Spanish on a form that displayed their responses in English on the carbon copy. In the control group, a history was obtained using a bilingual interpreter.
Results:
Average completion time was significantly less (t = 14.38; P < .0001) for the experimental group (chi 2 = 5.67 minutes; SD, 1.89) than for controls (chi 2 = 14.58 minutes; SD, 4.19). There was no statistical difference in review criteria for documentation between groups.
Conclusion:
Using a bilingual questionnaire to obtain a clinical history results in more rapid patient evaluation without affecting the quality of information obtained.