University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
J Gen Intern Med. 2021 Mar;36(3):786-789. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06383-z. Epub 2021 Jan 6.
Through experiences with hospital visitor restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of frontline trainees at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) uncovered patient stories highlighting the unique challenges that patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) face in the hospital, particularly their vulnerability to social isolation. Here, we recount patient stories illustrative of this isolation, generated by insufficient professional interpreter use, ad hoc interpretation, and scarcity of media in preferred languages. When confronted with the social isolation faced by all patients during COVID-19, we more clearly saw the healthcare disparities affecting patients with LEP. A trainee-led videoconferencing initiative facilitating social calls between patients at UCSF and their loved ones proved especially helpful in reducing the disconnection that patients with LEP experience in the hospital. Motivated by the findings of this project, we advocate for other institutions to take similar action, such as hiring inpatient telehealth navigators and providing tablets for ad lib use. Enacting these changes will keep patients with LEP connected to their families and communities while in the hospital, an essential step towards establishing an equitable experience for patients with LEP.
通过在 COVID-19 大流行期间对医院访客限制的体验，一组来自加利福尼亚大学旧金山分校（UCSF）的一线受训人员发现了一些患者的故事，这些故事强调了英语水平有限的患者（LEP）在医院中面临的独特挑战，尤其是他们容易受到社会隔离的影响。在这里，我们讲述了一些患者的故事，这些故事说明了由于缺乏专业口译员的使用、临时口译以及缺乏患者偏好语言的媒体而导致的隔离情况。当我们面对 COVID-19 期间所有患者所面临的社会隔离时，我们更加清楚地看到了影响 LEP 患者的医疗保健差距。一项由受训人员领导的视频会议倡议，促进了 UCSF 患者与其亲人之间的社交电话，这对减少 LEP 患者在医院中所经历的脱节特别有帮助。受该项目研究结果的启发，我们主张其他机构采取类似行动，例如雇佣住院病人远程医疗导航员和提供平板电脑供随意使用。实施这些变革将使 LEP 患者在住院期间与家人和社区保持联系，这是为 LEP 患者建立公平体验的重要一步。
