Photo Credit: Pornpak Khunatorn
The following is a summary of “Impact of Patients’ Primary Language on Inpatient Gastrointestinal Bleeding Outcomes,” published in the March 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Youssef, et al.
The influence of English proficiency on gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) outcomes requires clarification. For a study, researchers sought to compare inpatient GIB outcomes between patients with English as their primary language (EPL) and those with a primary language other than English (PLOE).
Using the 2019 State Inpatient Databases for New Jersey, Maryland, and Michigan, they formed an analysis cohort of GIB hospitalizations using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes. Patients were categorized by primary language (EPL vs PLOE) and bleeding type (variceal upper GI bleeding [VUGIB], nonvariceal upper GI bleeding [NVUGIB], and lower GI bleeding [LGIB])—regression analyses compared mortality, 30-day readmissions, and length of stay. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% CIs were calculated.
Of the cohort, 5.5%–10% spoke a primary language other than English. Endoscopy utilization was lower among PLOE patients for NVUGIB (17.2% vs 21.2%, P < 0.001) and LGIB (26.3% vs 29.2%, P = 0.027). PLOE patients had higher odds of mortality from VUGIB (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.16–2.48) and LGIB (aOR 1.71, 95% CI 1.22–2.12). PLOE patients were also more likely to be readmitted after NVUGIB (aOR 1.75, 95% CI 1.64–1.81). However, disparities in mortality and readmissions vanished after adjusting for the percentage of PLOE patients discharged from each hospital.
GIB outcome disparities existed among PLOE patients but diminished in hospitals with higher percentages of PLOE patients. Enhancing cultural and linguistic competence may ameliorate outcomes in this vulnerable population.
Reference: journals.lww.com/ajg/abstract/2024/03000/the_impact_of_patients__primary_language_on.29.aspx