SynthesisThe western journal of emergency medicine2015
The Need for More Prehospital Research on Language Barriers: A Narrative Review.
Synthesis in The western journal of emergency medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Disparities in Emergency Medical Services Intra-Arrest Transport by Neighborhood Socioeconomic Vulnerability.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- What Is the Address of Your Emergency? Navigating Language Barriers in 911 Calls with Mandarin-Speaking Callers.Annals of emergency dispatch & response · 2026Article
- Equity-Related Factors in Emergency Medical Service Use for Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Systematic Review.Open access emergency medicine : OAEM · 2026Review
- Emergency Medical Services Time on Scene and Non-Transport: Role of Communication Barriers.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2025Observational
- Foreign-language skills of student paramedics studying undergraduate Paramedic Science in the UK: a nationwide cross-sectional exploratory study.British paramedic journal · 2025Article
- Assessing the experience and attitude of emergency medical services staff toward linguistic diversity challenges in a Middle Eastern pre-hospital emergency care environment using machine learning analysis methods.Qatar medical journal · 2025Article
- Trends in demographic and employment characteristics of US emergency medical technicians and paramedics, 2011-2019.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2022Article
- Emergency Medical Service Use Among Latinos Aged 50 and Older in California Counties, Except Los Angeles, During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic Period.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- An analysis of the descriptors of acute myocardial infarction used by South Africans when calling for an ambulance from a private emergency call centre.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2020Article
- Medical Characteristics of Foreign Language Patients in Paramedic Care.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Evaluating the Usefulness of Translation Technologies for Emergency Response Communication: A Scenario-Based Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionDespite evidence from other healthcare settings that language barriers negatively impact patient outcomes, the literature on language barriers in emergency medical services (EMS) has not been previously summarized. The objective of this study is to systematically review existing studies of the impact of language barriers on prehospital emergency care and identify opportunities for future research.
methodsA systematic review with narrative synthesis of publications with populations specific to the prehospital setting and outcome measures specific to language barriers was conducted. A four-prong search strategy of academic databases (PubMed, Academic Search Complete, and Clinical Key) through March 2015, web-based search for gray literature, search of citation lists, and review of key conference proceedings using pre-defined eligibility criteria was used. Language-related outcomes were categorized and reported as community-specific outcomes, EMS provider-specific outcomes, patient-specific outcomes, or health system-specific outcomes.
resultsTwenty-two studies met eligibility criteria for review. Ten publications (45%) focused on community-specific outcomes. Language barriers are perceived as a barrier by minority language speaking communities to activating EMS. Eleven publications (50%) reported outcomes specific to EMS providers, with six of these studies focused on EMS dispatch. EMS dispatchers describe less accurate and delayed dispatch of resources when confronted with language discordant callers, as well as limitations in the ability to provide medical direction to callers. There is a paucity of research on EMS treatment and transport decisions, and no studies provided patient-specific or health system-specific outcomes. Key research gaps include identifying the mechanisms by which language barriers impact care, the effect of language barriers on EMS utilization and clinically significant outcomes, and the cost implications of addressing language barriers.
conclusionThe existing research on prehospital language barriers is largely exploratory, and substantial gaps in understanding the interaction between language barriers and prehospital care have yet to be addressed. Future research should be focused on clarifying the clinical and cost implications of prehospital language barriers.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.