Language barriers pose problems in mental health care for foreign-born individuals in the United States. Immigrants with psychiatric disorders may be at particular risk but are currently understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of limited English proficiency (LEP) on mental health service use among immigrant adults with psychiatric disorders. Drawn from the National Lat...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Health providers need reliable estimates of the number of families with limited English proficiency (LEP) to assess language need and language service provision. Hospitals often lack reliable language screening tools and fail to provide interpretation for LEP families. The objective of this study was to develop a simple audit tool to more accurately identify LEP patient...

In 2000, 4.4 million households were linguistically isolated, meaning that no one in the household aged 14 or over spoke English at least " very well " ; up from 2. These demographic changes of the United States present unique challenges to the delivery of quality health care to individuals with LEP. Researchers have noted that when language barriers exist in provider-patient communication, a p...

OBJECTIVES Patients with limited English proficiency confront multiple barriers to health care access in the United States. Appropriate language services for families with limited English proficiency are essential; however, little is known about pediatricians' use of language services. The objective of this study was to examine pediatricians' provision of language services to patients with limi...

Increasing numbers of persons in the United States cannot speak, read, write, or understand the English language at a level that permits them to interact effectively. These limitations can hamper encounters between patients and healthcare providers, often leading to misunderstandings as to diagnosis and treatment, which in turn may result in poor patient compliance, unsatisfactory outcomes, and...

Between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population in the United States increased by 61 percent, becoming the largest minority group. Language differences contribute to patient safety and access to healthcare concerns for limited English proficiency (LEP) Latinos. The objectives of this research were to determine the techniques rural hospitals use to accommodate Spanish-speaking LEP patients, to iden...

BACKGROUND Surgical and procedural patient care settings require efficient patient flow. The primary goal of this study was to assess use and efficiency of language services for our limited English proficiency (LEP) patients undergoing surgical and outpatient procedures. METHODS Patient language services needs were recorded from our operating room and procedural locations over a two and a hal...

Limited English proficiency (LEP) affects many Canadians. Patients with LEP are at high risk of medical error, readmission, and increased length stay. We report on the case a 66-year-old male diagnosis glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency associated hemolysis, how language barrier affected his care. Using our as an example, we describe trends in literature inpatient setting, its ...