Language Discordance Raises Risk of Hospital Readmissions, U.S. Study Finds
A June 2024 meta-analysis published in BMJ Quality & Safety was recently brought back into the spotlight by Dr. Lucy Shi, who discussed its findings in an article for The Hospitalist . The study, conducted by Chu et al., examined the link between language discordance and unplanned hospital or emergency department (ED) readmissions. US Study Finds that Language Discordance Increases Risk of Hospital Readmissions The researchers also evaluated whether interpretation services could help reduce disparities in these outcomes between patients who speak a non-dominant language and those who do not. Their analysis was based on a literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar, initially conducted on January 21, 2021, and updated on October 27, 2022. Extensive research has shown that patients and families with non-dominant language preferences often face challenges in communication, understanding medical information, and accessing...
