Do Hospitals Measure up to the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Standards?
Do Hospitals Measure up to the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Standards?
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DOI：
10.1097/mlr.0b013e3181f380bc
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发表时间：
2010-12-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Jacobs, Elizabeth A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Diamond, Lisa C.;Wilson-Stronks, Amy;Jacobs, Elizabeth A.
背景：联邦法规要求医疗机构为英语水平有限的患者提供语言服务。《国家卫生保健文化和语言适当服务标准》（CLAS标准）提供了如何履行这些规定的指导。目前尚不清楚美国医院如何将其纳入practice.Objectives：评估美国医院如何满足联邦法规要求提供的语言服务使用CLAS作为compliance.Research设计：横断面调查。结果：许多医院不符合联邦法规。大多数国家报告说，它们及时提供了第一种语文的语文援助，但没有提供最常要求的第三种语文的援助。虽然医院报告说，它们告知病人他们有权获得语言服务，但许多医院只以英语这样做。大多数医院报告说，使用家属或未经培训的工作人员担任口译员。报告提供非英文重要文件的国家寥寥无几。总体而言，13%的医院符合所有4个语言相关的CLAS standards，而19%的人没有达到任何结论：我们的研究文件，许多医院不提供语言服务的方式符合联邦法律。这些规定的执行是不一致的，因此没有激励医院遵守。许多监管机构目前正在编写新的指导方针，以满足合规性要求。我们的研究强化了这些努力的重要性，并有助于采取有针对性的干预措施，以改善英语水平有限的患者的护理提供和安全性。
Background: Federal regulations require that health care organizations provide language services to patients with limited English proficiency. The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS standards) provide guidance on how to fulfill these regulations. It is not known how US hospitals have incorporated them into practice.Objectives: To assess how US hospitals are meeting federal regulations requiring provision of language services using CLAS as a measure of compliance.Research Design: Cross-sectional survey.Subjects: Hospital interpreter services managers (or equivalent position). Measures: Degree of meeting each of the 4 language-related CLAS standards.Results: Many hospitals are not meeting federal regulations. The majority reported providing language assistance in a timely manner in their first, but not their third, most commonly requested language. Although hospitals reported that they informed patients of their right to receive language services, many did so only in English. A majority of hospitals reported the use of family members or untrained staff as interpreters. Few reported providing vital documents in non-English languages. Overall, 13% of hospitals met all 4 of the language-related CLAS standards, whereas 19% met none.Conclusions: Our study documents that many hospitals are not providing language services in a manner consistent with federal law. Enforcement of these regulations is inconsistent, and thus does not motivate hospitals to comply. Compliance will likely come with new guidelines, currently being written, by many of the regulatory organizations. Our study reinforces the importance of these efforts and helps target interventions to improve the delivery and safety of care to limited English proficient patients.