Satisfaction of Limited English-Proficient Patients With Phone Interpretation Services Compared to In-Person Interpreters: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: The aim of the study is to determine if In-person interpreters increases patient satisfaction of URGYN office visits compared to the use of phone interpreter services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients

Detailed Description: This study is a randomized controlled trial. Patients presenting to the UMass Memorial UROGYN clinic will be screened for eligibility using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. LEP patients will be identified as patients that initiate conversation in a non-English language and are only able to communicate adequately regarding their medical problem in a non-English language.

After patients have been seen for their scheduled office visit, they will be invited to participate in the study. Once the patient has agreed to participate in the study the participant will be randomized. Study assignment will be revealed using sequentially numbered sealed opaque envelopes. Randomization will be performed using software and a block randomization scheme to yield a 50% chance of having an in-person interpreter.

Those assigned to the control group will receive phone translation services and the experimental group will have in person interpreters.

At the subsequent visit, demographic information will be collected and patients will then receive interpretation services from the phone or an in-person interpreter.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

LEP speaking Spanish and Portuguese female patients presenting to the U Mass UROGYN clinic with or without Ad-hoc interpreters
Spanish and Portuguese speaking female patients with LEP presenting to the U Mass UROGYN clinic for an office visit of any type

Exclusion Criteria

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Patient Satisfaction	Immediately assessed after office visit	Patient satisfaction will be measured by a 14 - item questionnaire. The questionnaire was created, validated, and used in a previous study from the field of Emergency medicine. There are 3 subscales assessing patient satisfaction with interpreter, nursing, and physician. Satisfaction with interpreters was calculated using the summation index of 4 items. Satisfaction with physician and nursing communication was measure by a summated index of 5 items that measure increasing level of satisfaction with a likert scale. Answers ranged from 1 to 4 where 4 equaled "strongly agree" and 1 equaled "strongly disagree". All items were weighted on a 100 point scale to facilitate interpretation of the means. A lower score means less satisfaction/greater dissatisfaction and a higher score indicates more satisfaction/less dissatisfaction.

Secondary Outcome Measures