I can't understand what you're telling me. Physical therapy: A study of the impact of language barriers on health outcomes.

摘要

Research studies have determined that there is a negative health impact to Hispanic patients primarily due to the language barrier between them and their English only speaking healthcare providers. The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not physical therapists felt that the treatment provided to their LEP patients and/or the outcome of the LEP patient was impacted due to a language and/or cultural barrier. This study served to determine whether or not therapists found value in the different methods of interpretation/translation available to them and if the age of the therapist or their dual language ability had any relationship to their perception of a negative rehabilitative outcome. A sample of 113 licensed physical therapists practicing in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County, Florida completed the Physical Therapy Cultural and Language Barrier Survey. The majority of therapists (69.9%) agreed that treatment outcomes were not as successful as when the patient and therapist spoke the same language. Significance testing determined that there was no relationship between age, dual language ability or access to translation services and perception of rehabilitative outcome.