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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Aug;24(6):930-939.
doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.03.004. Epub 2024 Mar 6.

Language Disparities in Caregiver Satisfaction with Physician Communication at Well Visits from 0-2 Years

Jennifer C Gutierrez-Wu  1 , Victor Ritter  2 , Ellen L McMahon  3 , William J Heerman  3 , Russell L Rothman  3 , Eliana M Perrin  4 , H Shonna Yin  5 , Lee M Sanders  6 , Alan M Delamater  7 , Kori B Flower  8
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Language Disparities in Caregiver Satisfaction with Physician Communication at Well Visits from 0-2 Years

Jennifer C Gutierrez-Wu et al. Acad Pediatr. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to describe caregiver satisfaction with physician communication over the first two years of life and examine differences by preferred language and the relationship to physician continuity.

Methods: Longitudinal data were collected at well visits (2 months to 2 years) from participants in a randomized controlled trial to prevent childhood obesity. Satisfaction with communication was assessed using the validated Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) questionnaire. Changes in the odds of optimal scores were estimated in mixed-effects logistic regression models to evaluate the associations between satisfaction over time and language, interpreter use, and physician continuity.

Results: Of 865 caregivers, 35% were Spanish-speaking. Spanish-speaking caregivers without interpreters had lower odds of an optimal satisfaction score compared with English speakers during the first 2 years, beginning at 2 months [OR 0.64 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.95)]. There was no significant difference in satisfaction between English-speaking caregivers and Spanish-speaking caregivers with an interpreter. The odds of optimal satisfaction scores increased over time for both language groups. For both language groups, odds of an optimal satisfaction score decreased each time a new physician was seen for a visit [OR 0.82 (95% CI: 0.69, 0.97)].

Conclusion: Caregiver satisfaction with physician communication improves over the first two years of well-child visits for both English- and Spanish-speakers. A loss of physician continuity over time was also associated with lower satisfaction. Future interventions to ameliorate communication disparities should ensure adequate interpreter use for primarily Spanish-speaking patients and address continuity issues to improve communication satisfaction.

Keywords: Spanish-speaking; satisfaction; well-child visits.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Unadjusted Proportion of Caregivers with Optimal Communication Assessment Tool Scores by Language Over Time
*P value<0.05 by Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Adjusted Predicted Probabilities of Optimal Communication Assessment Tool Scores for English and Spanish-Speaking Caregivers From 2 to 24 Months
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Components of the Communication Assessment Tool for English Compared with Spanish-Speaking Caregivers With and Without an Interpreter at 2 and 24 Months
*Denotes P values <0.05 for comparison of 2 vs. 24 months within each language group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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