Language Discordance Clinical Trial
Official title:
Cost Effectiveness of Language Services in Hospital Emergency Departments
Numerous studies suggest that the use of in-person, professionally trained medical interpreters can reduce health care costs associated with diagnosing and treating patients with limited English proficiency. However, few studies have specifically addressed the question of the cost-effectiveness of language services in health care settings. This study used a randomized controlled study design to compare the cost-effectiveness of using professional interpreters with Spanish-speaking patients seen in hospital emergency departments (EDs) versus using the usual language services available to these patients. The main goal of the study was to estimate the effect that professional interpreters have on resource utilization and patient/provider satisfaction in the ED compared to the language services usually offered in these settings. Our hypothesis was that use of trained interpreters would lead to more cost-effective provision of ED services.
Status | Completed |
Enrollment | 447 |
Est. completion date | January 2010 |
Est. primary completion date | April 2009 |
Accepts healthy volunteers | No |
Gender | Both |
Age group | N/A and older |
Eligibility |
Inclusion Criteria: - limited English proficient (LEP) Spanish-speaking patients - adults aged 18 or older - LEP parents of children seen in emergency departments Exclusion Criteria: - cognitively impaired, comatose, or traumatized patients - healthy volunteers - prisoners - hospital employees |
Allocation: Randomized, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Country | Name | City | State |
---|---|---|---|
United States | CentraState Healthcare System | Freehold | New Jersey |
United States | Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital | New Brunswick | New Jersey |
Lead Sponsor | Collaborator |
---|---|
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
United States,
Type | Measure | Description | Time frame | Safety issue |
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary | Cost-effectiveness of in-person interpreters versus other language services | June 2009 | No | |
Secondary | Satisfaction with ability to communicate | June 2009 | No |