Association of patient- provider language concordance with health care comprehension among Latino/as in Oregon: Work in progress

Authors: Grace Parra, Sara Diaz-Anaya, & Blair G. Darney PhD, MPH. Title Association of patient- provider language concordance with health care comprehension among Latino/as in Oregon: Work in progress Background Language concordance in a healthcare setting is a clinical encounter where the patient and provider speak the same language. Health care comprehension is the degree to which individuals understand health-related information given by the provider. Research to date suggests that language barriers in health care negatively impact quality of care .The purpose of this study is to describe need and preferences for language concordant care and test the association between report of language concordant care and patient health care comprehension among Oregon Latino/as. We hypothesize that a language concordant provider is associated with greater health care comprehension. Methods This will conduct a cross sectional study in collaboration with the General Consulate of Mexico. We developed a 20-item survey that includes socio-demographic questions, a validated language-based acculturation scale, and items about healthcare comprehension and language concordance preferences and experiences drawn from previous research. We will recruit women and men ages 15 or older. We will use descriptive and multivariable statistics to describe need and preferences for language concordant care and test the association of language concordance with comprehension. Results Study results are anticipated in late 2022. In addition to a peer-reviewed publication, we will disseminate our results with the Consulate of Mexico and other local partners to inform them about the need and preferences for language concordant health care among the Oregon Latino/as. Public Health Significance This research will contribute to efforts to increase diversity within the healthcare workforce, and ultimately improve quality of care for the Oregon Latino/as