November 20, 2007
Non-English Speakers Get Fewer Services
From HealthDay via USNews.com:
Patients in the United States who speak little or no English are less likely to receive all recommended health care services than English-speaking patients, a new report finds.
Non-English speakers are also less likely to have received documentation that provides informed consent before they undergo invasive procedures, according to studies published in a special supplement of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Another study found that one in five hospital staff interpreters don't have competent bilingual skills.
and later:
Another study in the supplement found that Hispanics who don't speak English at home were much less likely (35 percent vs. 57 percent) to receive 10 recommended health care services than white, English-speaking patients.
You can view the contents of this supplemental issue at the journals website.