Episode Details
Back to Episodes#439 - 🔵 [PAS 2026] - Are Language Barriers in the NICU Actually Costing Babies Their Lives?
Description
Dr. John Feister, neonatologist and health equity researcher at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, presents two studies that challenge us to look beyond the bedside. The first reveals that NICU babies whose families prefer a language other than English have nearly double the in-hospital mortality rate of English-speaking families — a difference that persisted even after adjusting for medical and sociodemographic risk factors, and one he suspects is driven in part by barriers to family advocacy and end-of-life communication. The second introduces the concept of medical-financial partnerships, and specifically a hospital-based free tax preparation clinic that helped NICU and hospital families claim thousands of dollars in refundable tax credits — with 90% of participants reporting that the service improved their trust in their medical team.
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