Cost Effectiveness of Language Services in Hospital Emergency Departments (EDs)
The recruitment status of this study is unknown because the information has not been verified recently.
Verified December 2009 by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc..
Recruitment status was Active, not recruiting
Recruitment status was Active, not recruiting
Sponsor:
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Collaborator:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Information provided by:
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT01041014
First received: December 28, 2009
Last updated: December 29, 2009
Last verified: December 2009
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Purpose
Numerous studies suggest that the use of in-person, professionally trained medical interpreters can reduce health care costs associated with diagnosing and treating patients with limited English proficiency. However, few studies have specifically addressed the question of the cost-effectiveness of language services in health care settings. This study used a randomized controlled study design to compare the cost-effectiveness of using professional interpreters with Spanish-speaking patients seen in hospital emergency departments (EDs) versus using the usual language services available to these patients. The main goal of the study was to estimate the effect that professional interpreters have on resource utilization and patient/provider satisfaction in the ED compared to the language services usually offered in these settings. Our hypothesis was that use of trained interpreters would lead to more cost-effective provision of ED services.
| Condition | Intervention |
|---|---|
|
Language Discordance |
Behavioral: Professional medical interpreter |
| Study Type: | Interventional |
| Study Design: | Allocation: Randomized Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment Masking: Open Label Primary Purpose: Health Services Research |
| Official Title: | Cost Effectiveness of Language Services in Hospital Emergency Departments |
Further study details as provided by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Cost-effectiveness of in-person interpreters versus other language services [ Time Frame: June 2009 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Satisfaction with ability to communicate [ Time Frame: June 2009 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
| Enrollment: | 447 |
| Study Start Date: | October 2008 |
| Estimated Study Completion Date: | January 2010 |
| Primary Completion Date: | April 2009 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) |
| Arms | Assigned Interventions |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: Professional medical interpreter
Limited English proficient Spanish-speaking patients seen in the treatment arm were provided with the services of a professionally-trained medical interpreter to facilitate communication between the patient and emergency department staff
|
Behavioral: Professional medical interpreter
All treatment interpreters were certified bilingual in Spanish and English and had completed (1) at least 40 hours of training in medical terminology, ethics, patient privacy, and basic interpreting skills; and (2) an online course in protection of human subjects.
|
|
No Intervention: Control, Usual Language Services
Patients randomized to the control arm receive the services of the emergency departments' usual language services (i.e., a telephone language line or ad hoc interpreters).
|
Eligibility| Genders Eligible for Study: | Both |
| Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- limited English proficient (LEP) Spanish-speaking patients
- adults aged 18 or older
- LEP parents of children seen in emergency departments
Exclusion Criteria:
- cognitively impaired, comatose, or traumatized patients
- healthy volunteers
- prisoners
- hospital employees
Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01041014
Locations
| United States, New Jersey | |
| CentraState Healthcare System | |
| Freehold, New Jersey, United States, 07728 | |
| Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital | |
| New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, 08901 | |
Sponsors and Collaborators
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Investigators
| Study Director: | Ann D Bagchi, Ph.D. | Mathematica Policy Research |
| Principal Investigator: | Stacy Dale, MPA | Mathematica Policy Research |
| Principal Investigator: | Robert Eisenstein, MD | University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey |
More Information
No publications provided
| Responsible Party: | Ann Bagchi, Project Director, Mathematica Policy Research |
| ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01041014 History of Changes |
| Other Study ID Numbers: | 55879RWJF |
| Study First Received: | December 28, 2009 |
| Last Updated: | December 29, 2009 |
| Health Authority: | United States: Institutional Review Board |
Keywords provided by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.:
|
Limited English proficiency Cost-effectiveness Emergency Departments Language Discordance |
Satisfaction Limited English proficient patients Spanish-speaking patients |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
|
Emergencies Disease Attributes Pathologic Processes |
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 16, 2013