Jacobs E A, Lauderdale D S, Meltzer D, Shorey J M, Levinson W, Thisted R A
Division of General Medicine and Primary Care and Collaborative Research Unit, Cook County Hospital, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Jul;16(7):468-74. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016007468.x.
To determine whether professional interpreter services increase the delivery of health care to limited-English-proficient patients.
Two-year retrospective cohort study during which professional interpreter services for Portuguese and Spanish-speaking patients were instituted between years one and two. Preventive and clinical service information was extracted from computerized medical records.
A large HMO in New England.
A total of 4,380 adults continuously enrolled in a staff model health maintenance organization for the two years of the study, who either used the comprehensive interpreter services (interpreter service group [ISG]; N = 327) or were randomly selected into a 10% comparison group of all other eligible adults (comparison group [CG]; N = 4,053).
The measures were change in receipt of clinical services and preventive service use. Clinical service use and receipt of preventive services increased in both groups from year one to year two. Clinical service use increased significantly in the ISG compared to the CG for office visits (1.80 vs. 0.70; P <.01), prescriptions written (1.76 vs 0.53; P <.01), and prescriptions filled (2.33 vs. 0.86; P<.01). Rectal examinations increased significantly more in the ISG compared to the CG (0.26 vs. 0.02; P =.05) and disparities in rates of fecal occult blood testing, rectal exams, and flu immunization between Portuguese and Spanish-speaking patients and a comparison group were significantly reduced after the implementation of professional interpreter services.
Professional interpreter services can increase delivery of health care to limited-English-speaking patients.
确定专业口译服务是否能增加为英语水平有限的患者提供的医疗服务。
为期两年的回顾性队列研究，在第一年和第二年期间为讲葡萄牙语和西班牙语的患者提供专业口译服务。从计算机化医疗记录中提取预防和临床服务信息。
新英格兰的一家大型健康维护组织。
在研究的两年中，共有4380名成年人持续加入了一个员工模式的健康维护组织，他们要么使用了全面的口译服务（口译服务组[ISG]；N = 327），要么被随机选入所有其他符合条件成年人的10%比较组（比较组[CG]；N = 4053）。
测量指标为临床服务接受情况和预防服务使用情况的变化。两组从第一年到第二年临床服务使用和预防服务接受情况均有所增加。与CG组相比，ISG组的门诊就诊（1.80对0.70；P <.01）、开具处方（1.76对0.53；P <.01）和配药（2.33对0.86；P<.01）的临床服务使用显著增加。与CG组相比，ISG组的直肠检查增加更为显著（0.26对0.02；P =.05），并且在实施专业口译服务后，讲葡萄牙语和西班牙语的患者与比较组之间在粪便潜血检测、直肠检查和流感免疫接种率方面的差异显著降低。
专业口译服务可以增加为英语水平有限的患者提供的医疗服务。
