Overcoming Language Barriers in Health Care Interactions

[Harold Schiffman]

Overcoming Language Barriers in Health Care Interactions
Source: Mathematica Policy Research

More than 23 million Americans have limited English proficiency (LEP),
which complicates their ability to obtain quality health care.
Language barriers in the health care setting can lead to
miscommunications and cause medical errors, delay or denial of
services, issues with medication management, and underutilization of
preventive services. A new policy brief from Mathematica Policy
Research, Inc., assesses emerging national efforts to address language
barriers and profiles work in three states—California, Minnesota, and
New York—to highlight challenges, successes, and implications for
future policy and activities related to providing language services.

As the country’s demographics and immigration patterns change, more
states are establishing regulations and policies to promote access to
interpreters and translation services in health care. In 2008, all 50
states had at least two laws in place on providing these services in
health care settings, up from 43 states in 2006. However, the laws
vary greatly. California, Minnesota, and New York have been at the
forefront of these efforts and are considered leaders in providing
language services.

+ Full Document (PDF; 1.2 MB)

[NB: I have tried to obtain the url for this PDF version but my
computer isn't cooperating today.
If you go to the document URL you may be able to get to the
PDF:http://www.docuticker.com/?p=25669
Thanks, HS]

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