November 2016
Hello, Hola, Bonjour, Ciao!
Imagine you are in a place where not only your language skills are compromised and you are unfamiliar with the culture, but you have little to no knowledge of the health care system. Anything that you may have known in your home country does not apply in this new place; things like, how to apply for health care, how to make an appointment with a doctor, where to get medication or medical supplies.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2009-2013), out of a population of 23,704,400 in Texas, 29 percent of those (or 6,983,380) were Spanish speaking.1 Since that time, our population has increased in number and diversity, therefore magnifying the language and health care communication barriers. Paul M. Schyve, M.D., Senior Advisor, Healthcare Improvement at The Joint Commission describes the “triple threat” to effective health communication as low health literacy, limited English proficiency and cultural barriers.2 This, among other obstacles lead to challenges navigating the health care system.
As providers, you can do your part to help make this process as easy and streamlined as possible. Having an interpreter or a language line available for your patients will help increase their health literacy and ease their apprehension. Being cognizant of the languages offered in your after-hours messaging and/or answering service is also vital. Because Spanish is spoken by nearly one-third of our population in Texas, it is a state requirement that the after-hours messaging and/or answering services offer Spanish language service. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) monitors whether this language component is included in providers’ messaging and/or answering service during quarterly audits.
Breaking down the language barrier decreases some of the worries and apprehension in navigating our health care system, as well as ensuring your patients have the knowledge to make educated and informed health care decisions for their children and themselves. We appreciate your commitment to our members and the great care they receive; we encourage you to empower them by continuing to decrease the language barrier.
1 census.gov
2 Schyve, P. (2007). Language differences as a barrier to quality and safety in health care: The Joint Commission perspective. Journal of General Internal Medicine 22(S2), 360-361. Retrieved on May 4, 2009