In prior research, Dr. Alisa Khan has found that:
In a seven-center study, hospitalized children whose parents were not comfortable speaking English had twice the rate of adverse events as children whose parents were comfortable speaking English.
In a 21-center study, patients and families with limited English proficiency were three to five times less likely to ask questions, question decisions of health care providers, and speak up.
Building on previous work examining health care disparities for patients who speak languages other than English (LOE), the Program for Language Equity is currently pursuing the following lines of research, including:
- Exploring and evaluating variations in interpretation and translation practices within pediatric hospitals and benchmark hospitals accordingly
- Identifying leading factors for consistent use of interpretation and translation best practices within and across pediatric hospitals, and further exploring positive and negative outlier hospitals
- Investigating and comparing perceptions and experiences of hospital visits among patients speaking English versus those speaking LOE
