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Title: What a Difference an Interpreter Can Make: Health Care Experiences of Uninsured with Limited English Proficiency
Copyright Date: Apr. 2002
Pages: 14
Authors: Dennis Andrulis, SUNY Downstate Medical Center; Nanette Goodman, Cornell Center for Policy Research; and Carol Pryor, The Access Project
Description: This report presents national findings from the Community Access Monitoring Survey. Based on responses of 4,161 uninsured respondents who received care at one of the 23 urban hospitals included in the study, it compares the perceptions and experiences of adults who needed and had ready access to an interpreter with both those of adults who needed and did not have an interpreter readily available and those who did not need an interpreter. The findings show that uninsured respondents with limited English proficiency (LEP) who have access to an interpreter have strikingly better experiences in a wide range of areas, including ability to understand medication instructions, ability to get financial assistance to pay for care, and overall satisfaction with their health care encounter, compared to those who did not have an interpreter.
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Topics: Language Services