Assessment of Interpretation Modality and Patient Comprehension in Spanish-speaking Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND

Provider-patient language discrepancies with limited English proficiency (LEP) patients can lead to misunderstandings about diagnoses and follow-up care.

OBJECTIVES

To assess interpretation modalities used in the emergency department (ED) in terms of patient satisfaction and understanding of discharge diagnosis.

METHODS

Spanish-speaking LEP patients completed a survey assessing overall satisfaction and discharge diagnosis comprehension. Modalities included in-person (interpreter or physician/nurse), remote (phone or video), or combination. Differences in proportions with correctly identified diagnoses were compared by modality using Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

Patients preferred a Spanish-speaking staff member (52%) or in-person interpreter (33%) over other modalities. Almost 74% of surveyed patients accurately described their discharge diagnosis. Diagnostic accuracy was increased among patients using remote modalities alone compared with in-person alone or combination (p=.02).

CONCLUSION

Taking into account patient preferences and diagnostic accuracy, this study suggests the utility of having different interpreter modalities available for Spanish-speaking LEP ED patients.