Creating a Safe, High-Quality Healthcare System for All: Meeting the Needs of Limited English Proficient Populations; Comment on “Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality: The Case for Language Access”

Document Type : Commentary

Authors

The Disparities Solutions Center at the Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

Abstract

The article by Cheri Wilson, “Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality: The Case for Language Access”, highlights 
the challenges of providing Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) to patients with 
Limited English Proficiency (LEP). As the US pursues high-value, high-performance healthcare, our ability 
to meet the needs of our most vulnerable will determine whether we succeed or fail in the long run. With the 
implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), this is more important than ever before, as it is estimated 
that the newly insured are more likely to be minority and less likely to speak English than their currently 
insured counterparts. As such, we must create a safe, high-quality healthcare system for all, especially in this 
time of incredible healthcare transformation and unprecedented diversity. Improving Patient Safety Systems for 
Patients With Limited English Proficiency: A Guide for Hospitals provides a blueprint for achieving this goal, 
and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is taking action.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

1.  Wilson CC. Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality: The Case for Language Access. Int J Health Policy Manag2013; 1: 251–3. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2013.53
2.  Lindholm M, Hargraves JL, Ferguson WJ, Reed G. Professional language interpretation and inpatient length of stay and readmission rates. J Gen Intern Med2012; 27: 1294–9. doi: 10.1007/s11606-012-2041-5
3.  John-Baptiste A, Naglie G, Tomlinson G, Alibhai SM, Etchells E, Cheung A, et al.  The  effect  of  English  language  proficiency  on length  of  stay  and  in-hospital  mortality. J Gen Intern Med2004; 19:  221–8. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2004.21205.x
4.  Graham  CL,  Ivey  SL,  Neuhauser  L.  From  Hospital  to  Home: Assessing  the  Transitional  Care  Needs  of  Vulnerable  Seniors. Gerontologist 2009;  49:  23–33. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnp005
5.  Jiang  HJ,  Andrews  R,  Stryer  D,  Friedman  B.  Racial/ethnic disparities  in  potentially  preventable  readmissions:  the  case  of diabetes. Am J Public Health 2005;  95:  1561–7. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.044222
6.  Wilson E, Chen AH, Grumbach K, Wang F, Fernandez A. Effects of limited English proficiency and physician language on health care comprehension. J Gen Intern Med2005; 20: 800–6. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.0174.x
7.  Traylor AH, Schmittdiel JA, Uratsu CS, Mangione CM, Subramanian U. Adherence to cardiovascular disease medications: does patientprovider race/ethnicity and language concordance matter? J Gen Intern Med 2010; 25: 1172–7. doi: 10.1007/s11606-010-1424-8
8.  Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, §18001 [internet]. 2010. Available  from: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr3590enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr3590enr.pdf
9.  Agency  for  Healthcare  Research  and  Quality.  TeamSTEPPS® Enhancing Safety for Patients With Limited English Proficiency Module [internet].  Available  from:  http://www.ahrq.gov/teamsteppstools/lep/index.html
10.  Green AR KK, Gall G. Providing Safe and Effective Care for Patients with Limited English Proficiency [internet]. The Disparities Solutions Center, Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital,  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  Institute  of  Health Professions, and The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation; 2013. Available from: http://www2.massgeneral.org/disparitiessolutions/macy.html

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 13 January 2014
  • Revise Date: 01 February 2014
  • Accept Date: 30 January 2014
  • First Publish Date: 01 February 2014

Share

How to cite

Statistics