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Abstract: The population of the United States population is growing more diverse at a rapid rate through the 21st century. Health care providers are interacting more frequently with patients of diverse ethnic affiliations where health beliefs, languages, and life experiences may differ greatly from their own. According to Timmins (2002), "...the U.S. health care system is largely geared toward serving English speakers." This is because language is the most common barrier in any health care setting and has been found to be a risk factor with adverse outcomes. Health care providers and patient communication are positively correlated with improved health outcome. Health outcomes include medication regimen, preventive testing, and patient satisfaction.
Key Words: Culture, Nursing Care, Language Barrier
David and Rhee (1998) conducted a study that focused on the relationship between physicians and their Spanish speaking-only patients in a major teaching hospital. The study concluded that the language barrier correlated negatively with patient satisfaction and medication compliance. To encourage medication compliance for this population and other non-English speakers, written information in the patient's native language regarding the medication purpose and side effects should be provided. Physicians, nurses, and pharmacists should collaborate when an issue arises regarding medication non-compliance related to a language barrier. David and Rhee (1998, p. 397) stated, "A great obstacle...occurs when a language barrier exists between the doctor and patient." This obstacle could easily be prevented with the assistance of an interpreter or even a bilingual health care provider to enhance patient satisfaction with health care.
A complete review of Timmins' (2002) literature answers the question, how do language barriers affect access to health care, quality of care, health outcomes, and health care costs? Although this literature review focused on the Latino population, the discussion can be related to other ethnic groups. NonEnglish speaking populations lack access...