Impact of Language Barriers on XXXX Care and Outcomes.

@entity1 @entity51 @entity64 @entity63
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Language barriers may lead to poor quality of care, particularly for conditions like @entity64 for which diagnosis and treatment decision making rely on taking an accurate @entity1 history. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of @entity1 language barriers on quality of @entity64 care and clinical outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Registry of the Canadian @entity64 Network. All Ontario @entity1 who were admitted with @entity64 or transient @entity63 attack between July 2003 and March 2008 were selected. Mortality, @entity64 outcomes, in-hospital complications, quality of care, and disposition were compared between those without (n=12 787) and with (n=1506) language barriers, which was defined based on the @entity1 's preferred language. Hierarchical multivariable regression models determined the effect of language barriers, independent of baseline covariates. RESULTS: @entity1 with language barriers had better 7-day mortality than those without (7.0% versus 9.2%; OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.57-0.82; P<0.001). However, they were more likely to be discharged with a moderate-to-severe @entity51 (65.9% versus 51.5%; OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.15-1.35). In-hospital complication rates did not differ, and quality of care indicators generally favored @entity1 with language barriers. CONCLUSIONS: @entity1 who had language barriers had reduced mortality and better performance on some quality of care measures. These differences existed despite adjustment for many potential confounders, including ethnicity, prognostic factors, and @entity64 characteristics.
