Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35112283›Full record

SynthesisJournal of general internal medicine2022

Limited English Proficiency and Clinical Outcomes After Hospital-Based Care in English-Speaking Countries: a Systematic Review.

Alison P Woods, Andrea Alonso, Swetha Duraiswamy, Carl Ceraolo, Timothy Feeney, Christine M Gunn, William R Burns, Dorry L Segev, F Thurston Drake

Open access · bronzeAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of general internal medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
12.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Systematic Review of Pain Research Among Limited English Proficiency Patient Populations in Health care.Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses · 2024
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
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  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Associations Between Patients' Primary Spoken Language and Perioperative Outcomes After Hip Fracture.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2025
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Tools to improve discharge equity: Protocol for the pilot TIDE trial.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2025
    Article
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  16. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Alison P Woods *Department of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA. AWoods34@jh.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-6968-8312
Andrea Alonso *Department of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Swetha DuraiswamyDepartment of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Carl CeraoloDepartment of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Timothy FeeneyDepartment of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Christine M GunnDepartment of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
William R BurnsDepartment of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 759, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Dorry L SegevDepartment of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Ross 759, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
F Thurston DrakeDepartment of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Boston University · USJohns Hopkins University · US

Funding

Clinical and Laboratory Research Training for Surgical OncologistsT32CA126607 · NCI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI CAMERON, ANDREW M. · 2008 to 2024
$6.0M
Using Community-Engaged Methods to Design a Tool to Promote Informed Breast Cancer Screening Decisions for Low Literacy WomenK07CA221899 · NCI · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI GUNN, CHRISTINE MARIE · 2018 to 2022
$642k
NCI NIH HHS K07 CA221899NCI NIH HHS T32 CA126607
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLimited English proficiency (LEP) is common among hospitalized patients and may impact care. We synthesized the literature comparing clinical outcomes after in-hospital care for English-proficient(EP) versus LEP patients.

methodsThis systematic review searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from database inception through June 7, 2020, to identify research investigating clinical outcomes in patients receiving hospital-based care (in the emergency department, inpatient ward, surgical/procedural suite, or intensive care unit) that compared patients with LEP to an EP group. We assessed mortality, length of stay (LOS), readmissions/revisits, and complications. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

resultsTwenty-six studies met eligibility criteria. Study settings and populations were heterogeneous. Determination of primary language varied; a majority of studies (16/26) used patient self-report directly or via hospital records. Of 16 studies examining LEP and all-cause mortality, 13 found no significant association. Of 17 studies measuring LOS, 9 found no difference, 4 found longer LOS, 3 found shorter LOS, and 1 had mixed LOS results among patients with LEP. Several investigations suggested that LOS differences may be mediated at the hospital level. Nine studies evaluated inpatient readmissions. Among patients with LEP, there was evidence for increased readmissions in the setting of chronic medical conditions such as heart failure, but no evidence for increased readmissions among cohorts undergoing surgeries/procedures or with acute medical conditions. Five studies evaluated complications or harm related to a hospitalization, and no differences were found between language groups. DISCUSSION: The research community lacks a standardized definition of LEP. Most studies did not find an association between English proficiency and mortality or complications. LOS findings were mixed and may be influenced at the hospital level. Differences in readmissions by language were concentrated in chronic medical conditions. Given the paucity of studies examining LEP populations, additional research is imperative. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020143477.

Indexed as

LanguageLimited English ProficiencyCommunication BarriersHospitalsHumansLength of Staycommunication barriersinpatientslanguagelimited English proficiency

Identifiers

PMID35112283
PMCPMC9198156
OpenAlexW4210373306

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.