Healthcare in Patients With Limited English Proficiency and Linguistic Diversity in Medicine

Abstract

Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) are among healthcare's fastest growing and most vulnerable populations. They experience poor quality of care, worse clinical outcomes, higher medical error rates, and less patient satisfaction than English-proficient patients. Using medical interpreter services (MIS) does not fully mitigate the disparities in outcomes and inequities in healthcare and requires availability, longer provider times, and quality control. Hence, a multidimensional approach is warranted to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services. This chapter will include three case discussions highlighting: 1) Appropriate use and loopholes in medical interpreter services, 2) Patient-provider language concordance to bypass language barriers, and 3) Relevance of medical translation to improve understanding of health, diseases, and medication adherence.