Flores, G. (2014). Families Facing Language Barriers in Healthcare: When Will Policy Catch Up with the Demographics and Evidence? The Journal of Pediatrics, 164(6), 1261-1264. Doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.02.033
In “Families Facing Language Barriers in Healthcare: When Will Policy Catch Up with the Demographics and Evidence?” (published in 2014), Glen Flores, MD, of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas explains how language barriers impact access to care, the availability of health services, the quality of care, communication between patient and physician, patient satisfaction, and patient safety. “ More than 1 in 5 Americans-equivalent to 61.9 million-resides in a non-English primary-language (NEPL) household, and 25.1 million (approximately 9%) have limited English proficiency, defined as a self-rated ability to speak English less than very well.” (Flores, 2014, …show more content…
First, Flores assesses the disparities of appendiceal perforation in children with NEPL, compared to children with EPL. Children with NEPL are at much greater risk for appendiceal perforation due to the lack of healthcare accessibility. These factors are based on the family having difficulties finding a physician that accepts the child’s health insurance. Since children with NEPL are faced with these access barriers, there are greater chances of delayed medical care, diagnosis, and treatment. Second, clinician bias contributes to the performance of diagnostic testing. Advanced imaging is less likely to be done on children with NEPL with a higher severity of illness, because of the possible preconceived opinions the physician has. Third, evidence has shown that millions of Americans with limited English proficiency do not
In “Families Facing Language Barriers in Healthcare: When Will Policy Catch Up with the Demographics and Evidence?” (published in 2014), Glen Flores, MD, of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas explains how language barriers impact access to care, the availability of health services, the quality of care, communication between patient and physician, patient satisfaction, and patient safety. “ More than 1 in 5 Americans-equivalent to 61.9 million-resides in a non-English primary-language (NEPL) household, and 25.1 million (approximately 9%) have limited English proficiency, defined as a self-rated ability to speak English less than very well.” (Flores, 2014, …show more content…
First, Flores assesses the disparities of appendiceal perforation in children with NEPL, compared to children with EPL. Children with NEPL are at much greater risk for appendiceal perforation due to the lack of healthcare accessibility. These factors are based on the family having difficulties finding a physician that accepts the child’s health insurance. Since children with NEPL are faced with these access barriers, there are greater chances of delayed medical care, diagnosis, and treatment. Second, clinician bias contributes to the performance of diagnostic testing. Advanced imaging is less likely to be done on children with NEPL with a higher severity of illness, because of the possible preconceived opinions the physician has. Third, evidence has shown that millions of Americans with limited English proficiency do not