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Factors associated with utilisation of health care interpreting services and the impact on length of stay and cost: A retrospective cohort analysis of audit data
Author(s) -
Morris Darcy,
Lambert Kelly,
Vellar Lucia,
Mastroianni Fiorina,
Krizanac Josipa,
Lago Luise,
Mullan Judy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1002/hpja.373
Subject(s) - interpreter , audit , medicine , health care , retrospective cohort study , cohort study , cohort , family medicine , health economics , public health , emergency medicine , nursing , business , surgery , accounting , pathology , computer science , economics , programming language , economic growth
Issue addressed Utilisation of professional health care interpreting services improves the quality and safety of health care among patients with limited English proficiency. Health care interpreter service utilisation is inconsistent and suboptimal in Australia. Evidence of the impact of interpreter service use on patient outcomes and costs is limited. This study aimed to identify the proportion of hospitalised patients who received a health care interpreter during admission and describe the characteristics and outcomes for those requiring interpreter services. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of linked admitted patient data with internal interpreter audit data. This study included all inpatients in a health district‐wide clinical audit of interpreter service use conducted between July 2016 and March 2018. The dataset comprised 74 patients (including 79 unique hospital stays and 90 episodes) from eight hospitals in one regional health district in New South Wales, Australia. Results Interpreting services were utilised at least once for 54.4% (n = 43) of admissions. Females were more likely to receive an interpreter (65.1% vs 47.1%, P = .04). Age, preferred language, hospital, Diagnosis‐Related Group partition and comorbidities were not associated with interpreter service utilisation. Differences in length of stay and cost associated with use of interpreter services were not statistically significant after casemix adjustment. Conclusions Approximately half of those who required an interpreter received one during their hospital stay. Further investigation is needed to establish whether regular clinical audits contributed to this rate of utilisation, which is higher than reported elsewhere in the literature. So what? A detailed understanding of regional interpreting service use with evidence from the literature provides compelling and contextual evidence for change, at the level at which the service is delivered. This supports meaningful action to increase utilisation, and improve the quality and safety of health care delivered to patients with limited English proficiency.