(28) Patient Education Prioritization and Translation for Patients with Limited English Proficiency

Background: Prior studies have demonstrated that miscommunication between providers and families with limited English proficiency (LEP) has been associated with medication errors, inadequate follow-up care, increased ED usage, and hospital readmissions. Studies have also noted barriers to providing translated instructions, including difficulty with translation, lack of resources, and inconsistent use of services. Specifically, a streamlined way to intake and disseminate translation requests did not exist at our institution.

Objectives: To create a pilot prioritization system for translating key patient education materials within our health system.

Design/Methods: We first determined the most common non-English languages in our health system using Epic SlicerDicer. We then identified medical diagnoses with the greatest prevalence, readmission risk, length of stay, and morbidity/mortality for English-speaking and LEP populations, focusing on pediatric patients. We used Epic SlicerDicer and PowerBI to examine health outcome disparities between English-speaking and LEP patients. Focus areas for educational intervention were then determined based on the most common inpatient and outpatient diagnoses, screening and outcome measures, and system priorities.

Results: Our system’s most common languages were Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Karen, and Vietnamese. The most common inpatient pediatric diagnoses were newborn care, respiratory illnesses, and dehydration related to viral respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. The most common outpatient diagnoses were well-child care (including immunizations) and sick visits for viral upper respiratory infections. Notably, some diagnoses had higher rates among our LEP population (Table 1). Upon cross-reference with system priorities and quality measures, our pilot educational intervention focused on childhood immunizations, newborn discharge education, and respiratory illness education. Written and/or audiovisual education materials for these topics will be created in our system’s most common languages.

Conclusion: Creating a prioritization process to optimize the translation of patient education materials for LEP families bridges health equity gaps, reduces disparities, and promotes improved care. By piloting this system, we can implement a starting point to ultimately improve patient access to healthcare.