Older adults with communication disabilities and their use of communication support at doctor's visits: a nationally representative study.

The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that communication disabilities caused greater use of support persons. It used survey responses and could not measure the severity of each communication disability or the patient's communication preferences. It did not assess possible negative impacts of using a support person. It excluded people living in nursing facilities and people with prior dementia, so it does not describe those groups. It excluded people reporting communication difficulty due to English as a second language, so it does not address limited English proficiency. Communication support was counted only when someone accompanied and helped with specific communication tasks, so it may miss other forms of help or provider accommodations.

Do not conclude that bringing a support person solves the communication barrier. The study only counted whether someone helped with communication at a visit; it did not measure whether this support improved care or whether clinical accommodations were provided.