English Proficiency and its Effects on Healthcare Perception and Quality

Abstract

Over the course of 3 weeks, 30 subjects were randomly chosen to participate in a survey consisting of 20 questions. These questions looked at various markers to measure the patient's perceived level of quality and overall perception of the healthcare they have received in the US. All patients spoke little to no English and shared a native langauge of Spanish. In the end, it was found that, despite conflicting data from other studies, the 30 subjects had an overall positive view of the American healthcare system and also had a high degree of trust in their healthcare providers. That being said, it was also found that nearly all subjects reported that they would prefer that their physician spoke their native langauge and that, in doing so, it would improve the overall quality of their appointment. Additionally, on average, the participants reported that they only understood about 67% of what physicians said when anyone/anything other than a licensed interpreter was used to help translate for them. Though, some data gathered from this study was supported by other studies, a significant portion of the data collected contradicted the findings of other studies measuring the same thing, further emphasizing the need for more research in this field in order to get a more conclusive answer.