Skip to main content

Patient–Primary Care Provider Language Concordance Tied to Better Outcomes

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 2, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Patient-family physician language concordance is associated with a lower risk for adverse outcomes, according to a study published online June 3 in BMJ Public Health.

Michael Reaume, M.D., from the University of Manitoba Max Rady College of Medicine in Winnipeg, Canada, and colleagues used data from 497,227 home care recipients to examine whether patient-family physician language concordance in a primary care setting is associated with lower rates of hospital-based health care utilization and mortality.

The researchers found that those who received language-concordant primary care experienced significantly fewer emergency department visits (53.1 versus 57.5 percent), fewer hospitalizations (35.0 versus 37.6 percent), and lower mortality (14.4 versus 16.6 percent) compared with non-English, non-French speakers who received language-discordant primary care. Non-English, non-French speakers had lower risks for emergency department visits (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.91), hospitalizations (aHR, 0.94), and death (aHR, 0.87) when they received language-concordant primary care. Language of family physician did not impact the risk for experiencing an emergency department visit, hospitalization, or death for francophones.

"Optimizing the delivery of language-concordant care could potentially result in significant decreases in the use of acute health care services and mortality at the population level," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Mean Cost of Bringing New Drug to U.S. Market Is $879.3 Million

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- The mean cost of developing a new drug for the U.S. market is estimated to be $879.3 million when both drug development failure and capital costs are...

Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam Improves Detection of Cognitive Issues in Primary Care

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- A self-administered gerocognitive examination (SAGE) is easily incorporated into primary care provider (PCP) visits, and its use significantly increases...

Membranous Labyrinth Distension Seen in MRI of Meniere Disease

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Distension of the membranous labyrinth is seen in histologic specimens from deceased patients with symptoms consistent with Meniere disease and in...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.