Hospital discharge preparedness for patients with limited English proficiency: A mixed methods study of bedside interpreter-phones.
Jonathan S Lee, Anna Nápoles, Sunita Mutha and 4 others
PMID 28774652WHAT IT FOUND
For patients with limited English proficiency, discharge preparedness did not significantly improve after bedside interpreter-phones were installed, although patients reported better knowledge of medication purpose.
Patients still often reported family members as interpreters at discharge.
Key findings
01Overall discharge preparedness did not significantly improve after bedside interpreter-phone implementation.
02Only knowledge of medication purpose increased significantly between the pre- and post-implementation groups.
03Patients continued to report family members as the most common interpreter for discharge medication instructions, and almost a quarter reported no interpreter.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was an observational before-after study, not a randomized trial, so other changes over time could explain results. Propensity adjustment only accounted for measured baseline differences. The study was small, and high baseline understanding may have made it hard to detect improvements. Discharge outcomes and interpreter use were patient-reported, not directly observed. There was no English-speaking comparison group. Focus groups included only nurses and resident physicians, so patient and family views were not explored in the qualitative part.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that bedside interpreter-phones improved discharge preparedness overall. The main CTM score did not significantly change, and only medication purpose knowledge improved.