Episode Details
Back to Episodes#439 - 🔵 [PAS 2026] - Are We Visiting Language-Minority Families Less Often in the Hospital?
Description
Dr. Christina Rojas, from Lurie Children's Hospital, presents findings from a multi-center study across eight hospitals examining how often hospitalized patients and families receive communication touchpoints from their care team — and whether that differs based on preferred language. Across more than 30 languages represented in the study, families who preferred a language other than English experienced significantly fewer room visits, less direct communication when staff did enter the room, and a 55% gap in language-concordant interactions. She discusses what this means for patient safety — since missed touchpoints are missed opportunities to catch medication errors and address family concerns — and makes the case that interpreter access needs to stop being an extra step and start being the cultural default built into every care process.
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