What a Difference an Interpreter Can Make: Health Care Experiences of Uninsured with Limited English Proficiency
Author: Andrulis, Dennis PhD; Goodman, Nanette MA
Date Published: 2002
This report, based on a survey of 4,161 uninsured respondents who received health care between May and August of 2000 at 23 primarily safety net hospitals in 16 cities, compares the perceptions and experiences of adults who needed and easily got an interpreter with those who needed and did not get an interpreter (or had difficulty getting one), and with other uninsured who did not get an interpreter. Overall, the uninsured who got an interpreter had similar or more positive experiences at the hospital where they received care than the uninsured without language barriers. However, adults who needed and did not get an interpreter had more negative perceptions about their health care experiences than those who either got interpreter services or did not need them.
Date Published: 2002
This report, based on a survey of 4,161 uninsured respondents who received health care between May and August of 2000 at 23 primarily safety net hospitals in 16 cities, compares the perceptions and experiences of adults who needed and easily got an interpreter with those who needed and did not get an interpreter (or had difficulty getting one), and with other uninsured who did not get an interpreter. Overall, the uninsured who got an interpreter had similar or more positive experiences at the hospital where they received care than the uninsured without language barriers. However, adults who needed and did not get an interpreter had more negative perceptions about their health care experiences than those who either got interpreter services or did not need them.
