The Impact of Language Discordance on Acquiring Broad Social History: A Qualitative Study of Patients, Clinicians, and Interpreters
Authors: Bansri Doshi, Isabel Luna, Ruby Quesada, Maria E Garcia, Alicia Fernandez, Elaine C Khoong
This study explored how language discordance affects clinicians' ability to gather patients' broad social history (BSH), which includes social needs, values, and perspectives crucial for patient-centered care. Interviews with Spanish-speaking and English-speaking patients, clinicians, and medical interpreters revealed two key themes: the importance of BSH in personalized care and the challenges posed by language barriers, which increase time pressure and hinder rapport-building. Cultural barriers also played a role. We recommend that health systems allocate more time for language-discordant visits and provide additional training for clinicians on collecting BSH with interpreters. Further research is needed to assess the relationship between language discordance, BSH acquisition, and patient outcomes.