Culturally Competent Health Care: Use of Interpreter Services or Bilingual Providers

These interventions use bilingual providers, bilingual staff members who serve as interpreters (in addition to their regular duties), and professionally trained interpreters to serve clients with limited proficiency in English.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of interpreter services or bilingual providers to increase the cultural competence of healthcare systems because only one study of fair quality qualified for review.

Task Force Finding

 

Results of the Systematic Review

One study qualified for the review.

• Clients who reported that an interpreter was needed but not used were more likely to be discharged without a follow-up appointment than clients with language-concordant physicians (OR=1.79, 95% confidence interval =1.00, 3.23).
• Clients who communicated through an interpreter were also more likely to be discharged without a follow-up appointment than clients with language-concordant physicians (OR=1.92, 95% confidence interval =1.11, 3.33).
• People in the intervention groups were no more likely to adhere to appointments than were controls.
• This study was conducted in an urban hospital emergency department serving predominantly Latino clients.

These findings were based on a systematic review of all available studies, conducted on behalf of the Task Force by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice and policy related to the social environment.

Economic Review

An economic review of this intervention was not conducted because the Task Force found insufficient evidence to determine its effectiveness.

Supporting Materials

• Analytic framework [PDF - 731KB]- See Figure 1 on page 72
• Research gaps
• Summary evidence tables [PDF - 30KB]
• Included studies
• Search strategy

Publications

Anderson LM, Scrimshaw SC, Fullilove MT, et al. Culturally competent healthcare systems: a systematic review. [PDF - 731KB] Am J Prev Med 2003;24(3S): S68-79.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to promote healthy social environments. [PDF - 72KB] Am J Prev Med 2003;2003;24(3S):S21-4.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. The social environment. [PDF - 386KB] In : Zaza S, Briss PA, Harris KW, eds. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? Atlanta (GA): Oxford University Press;2005:329-84.

More Community Guide publications about Promoting Health Through the Social Environment

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Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Culturally competent health care: use of interpreter services or bilingual providers. www.thecommunityguide.org/social/interpreterservices.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: October 2001