In-Person Interpreter Use and Hospital Length of Stay among Infants with Low Birth Weight

To ensure timely appropriate care for low-birth-weight (LBW) infants, healthcare providers must communicate effectively with parents, even when language barriers exist. We sought to evaluate whether non-English primary language (NEPL) and professional in-person interpreter use were associated with d...

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Main Authors: Monica Eneriz-Wiemer, Lee M. Sanders, Mary McIntyre, Fernando S. Mendoza, D. Phuong Do, C. Jason Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-07-01
Series:International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/8/1570
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spelling doaj-51324ae1e93e42368ecef88d168f65bb2020-11-25T02:26:57ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1660-46012018-07-01158157010.3390/ijerph15081570ijerph15081570In-Person Interpreter Use and Hospital Length of Stay among Infants with Low Birth WeightMonica Eneriz-Wiemer0Lee M. Sanders1Mary McIntyre2Fernando S. Mendoza3D. Phuong Do4C. Jason Wang5Department of Pediatrics, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Los Gatos, CA 95032, USADivision of General Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USALucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USADivision of General Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USAZilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USADivision of General Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USATo ensure timely appropriate care for low-birth-weight (LBW) infants, healthcare providers must communicate effectively with parents, even when language barriers exist. We sought to evaluate whether non-English primary language (NEPL) and professional in-person interpreter use were associated with differential hospital length of stay for LBW infants, who may incur high healthcare costs. We analyzed data for 2047 infants born between 1 January 2008 and 30 April 2013 with weight <2500 g at one hospital with high NEPL prevalence. We evaluated relationships of NEPL and in-person interpreter use on length of stay, adjusting for medical severity. Overall, 396 (19%) had NEPL parents. Fifty-three percent of NEPL parents had documented interpreter use. Length of stay ranged from 1 to 195 days (median 11). Infants of NEPL parents with no interpreter use had a 49% shorter length of stay (adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43–0.61) compared to English-speakers. Infants of parents with NEPL and low interpreter use (<25% of hospital days) had a 26% longer length of stay (adjusted IRR 1.26, 95% CI 1.06–1.51). NEPL and high interpreter use (>25% of hospital days) showed a trend for an even longer length of stay. Unmeasured clinical and social/cultural factors may contribute to differences in length of stay.http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/8/1570children’s healthlanguagehealthcare disparitieslength of stayhealth services research
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Monica Eneriz-Wiemer
Lee M. Sanders
Mary McIntyre
Fernando S. Mendoza
D. Phuong Do
C. Jason Wang
spellingShingle Monica Eneriz-Wiemer
Lee M. Sanders
Mary McIntyre
Fernando S. Mendoza
D. Phuong Do
C. Jason Wang
In-Person Interpreter Use and Hospital Length of Stay among Infants with Low Birth Weight
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
children’s health
language
healthcare disparities
length of stay
health services research
author_facet Monica Eneriz-Wiemer
Lee M. Sanders
Mary McIntyre
Fernando S. Mendoza
D. Phuong Do
C. Jason Wang
author_sort Monica Eneriz-Wiemer
title In-Person Interpreter Use and Hospital Length of Stay among Infants with Low Birth Weight
title_short In-Person Interpreter Use and Hospital Length of Stay among Infants with Low Birth Weight
title_full In-Person Interpreter Use and Hospital Length of Stay among Infants with Low Birth Weight
title_fullStr In-Person Interpreter Use and Hospital Length of Stay among Infants with Low Birth Weight
title_full_unstemmed In-Person Interpreter Use and Hospital Length of Stay among Infants with Low Birth Weight
title_sort in-person interpreter use and hospital length of stay among infants with low birth weight
publisher MDPI AG
series International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
issn 1660-4601
publishDate 2018-07-01
description To ensure timely appropriate care for low-birth-weight (LBW) infants, healthcare providers must communicate effectively with parents, even when language barriers exist. We sought to evaluate whether non-English primary language (NEPL) and professional in-person interpreter use were associated with differential hospital length of stay for LBW infants, who may incur high healthcare costs. We analyzed data for 2047 infants born between 1 January 2008 and 30 April 2013 with weight <2500 g at one hospital with high NEPL prevalence. We evaluated relationships of NEPL and in-person interpreter use on length of stay, adjusting for medical severity. Overall, 396 (19%) had NEPL parents. Fifty-three percent of NEPL parents had documented interpreter use. Length of stay ranged from 1 to 195 days (median 11). Infants of NEPL parents with no interpreter use had a 49% shorter length of stay (adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43–0.61) compared to English-speakers. Infants of parents with NEPL and low interpreter use (<25% of hospital days) had a 26% longer length of stay (adjusted IRR 1.26, 95% CI 1.06–1.51). NEPL and high interpreter use (>25% of hospital days) showed a trend for an even longer length of stay. Unmeasured clinical and social/cultural factors may contribute to differences in length of stay.
topic children’s health
language
healthcare disparities
length of stay
health services research
url http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/8/1570
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