The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Don’t Get Lost in Translation: Helping rheumatology Patients with Limited English Skills

Don’t Get Lost in Translation: Helping rheumatology Patients with Limited English Skills

January 1, 2010 • By Vanessa Caceres

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Although it may be difficult to fit in patient education during initial consults and follow-ups, physicians should not make the mistake of assuming patients understand something just because they say they do, Dr. Cortés says. Aim for clear communication in nontechnical words, and ask patients to teach back to you what they have learned, she recommends. Asking patients how they think they got the disease they have can reveal cultural perceptions and help physicians address any misconceptions, Dr. Robbins says.

You Might Also Like
  • Give Rheumatology Patients a Helping Hand
  • Mobile Health Devices May Have Limited Use in Rheumatology
  • Two Years of Helping Patients Obtain Prescriptions
Explore This Issue
January 2010
Also By This Author
  • 10 Clinical Insights from Rheumatology Top Secrets & Pearls

Finally, hiring physicians or other staff persons who speak the native language and are familiar with the culture (or cultures) in your patient mix can help. Dr. Ginzler speaks highly of a study coordinator at her hospital who speaks Mandarin Chinese and has a medical background, for instance. Dr. Bello, who is a first-generation son of Colombian-born parents, learned from his physician uncles how to better communicate with his Hispanic patients. “I still use colloquial words and phrases to better communicate,” he says.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Vanessa Caceres is a medical writer and editor in Florida.

References

  1. Kutner M, Greenberg E, Jin Y, Paulsen C. The health literacy of America’s adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. US Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Publication No. 2006-483; September 2006.
  2. Weiss, BD. Health literacy and patient safety: Help patients understand. 2nd ed. American Medical Association Foundation; 2007. Available at www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/367/healthlitclinicians.pdf. Accessed December 3, 2009.

Involving LEPs in Clinical Trials

Recruiting LEPs into clinical trials can be difficult, say a number of rheumatologists. First, there’s the trust factor of getting patients to agree to participate. Some minority groups may be very wary about what kind of treatment they will receive and how the results will be used, Dr. Robbins says. Others who are in the United States illegally may worry about revealing personal data in a clinical trial.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Community leaders can help with recruitment and educating LEP patients about clinical trials. At the same time, the organization sponsoring the clinical trial and the hospitals involved should show how the trial will benefit the community, Dr. Robbins adds.

At some hospitals, it is not common to have LEP patients participate in clinical trials. “We have 300 patients in clinical trials, and 290 of them speak English,” says Daniel J. Wallace MD, clinical professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai/David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles. “These situations arise when a patient is ill and requires a treatment and is not a citizen and has no insurance.”

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Single Page

Filed Under: Education & Training, Practice Management, Professional Topics Tagged With: Diversity, language barriers, patient care, Patients, Practice toolsIssue: January 2010

You Might Also Like:
  • Give Rheumatology Patients a Helping Hand
  • Mobile Health Devices May Have Limited Use in Rheumatology
  • Two Years of Helping Patients Obtain Prescriptions
  • Rheumatologist’s Ping-Pong Prowess Sharpens His Skills with Patients

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)