Language-specific approaches to reduce perioperative stress and anxiety related to anaesthesia for patients with limited English proficiency: A narrative review.

This is a narrative review, not a systematic review, so it was not designed to establish whether any approach reduces anxiety. The search and selection were done by a single researcher, which limits reproducibility and may have introduced bias. Only a small number of studies were included, and some were excluded to reduce redundancy, so the evidence base is narrow. The included studies focused mainly on Indigenous Australian and Hispanic populations, so findings may not apply to all patients with limited English proficiency. The review relied mainly on English-language studies and a limited database, so relevant studies may have been missed. Publication bias was not accounted for, so negative or null results may be underrepresented. Many findings are associations or small studies, not tested effects, and significance was not always verified.

The author(s) declared no conflicts of interest. Funding was reported as support from the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine through the Florence E. Summer Research Award and by Fraser Health Authority.

Do not read this as proof that native-language education, interpreters or workforce diversity reduce perioperative anxiety. The review was not systematic, was screened by a single researcher, and some included studies were small or did not verify significance.