Communicating with diverse patients: How patient and clinician factors affect disparities.
Eliseo J Pérez-Stable, Sherine El-Toukhy
PMID 30146407WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with limited English proficiency or low health literacy report poorer communication and worse outcomes.
Nurses should use professional interpreters, screen language and literacy, and allow time for teach-back.
Key findings
01In a survey, 16% of White patients, 23% of African American patients, 33% of Latino patients, and 27% of Asian patients reported trouble understanding their doctor, questions they could not ask, or a physician who did not listen.
02Patients with limited English proficiency experience less patient-centered care, lower quality communication, and fewer healthcare visits.
03In a hospital study, limited English proficiency admissions with no interpreter use had a higher 30-day readmission rate (24.3%) than admissions with interpreter use only at admission and discharge (14.9%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a new study with its own methods or outcomes. The authors selected evidence rather than reporting a systematic search, so the cited studies may not cover all relevant research. The recommendations are the authors' proposals and were not tested in this paper. Some cited evidence is inconsistent, especially for race concordance and cultural competence. Most examples come from physician, hospital, or primary care encounters, so they may not map directly to therapy sessions.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a funding or conflict of interest declaration. The publication metadata lists NIH extramural and intramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as proof that interpreter use or cultural training improves patient outcomes. It summarizes selected studies and offers recommendations, and it does not test those practices in nursing or therapy settings.