Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40251872›Full record

ArticleBirth (Berkeley, Calif.)2026

Cultural Brokering in Pregnancy Care: A Qualitative Study.

Lauren Spigel, Maria Bazan, Ami Karlage, Karen Schoenherr, Amanda DiMeo, Saugata Chakraborty, Rose L Molina

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

7 authors.

Lauren SpigelAriadne Labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7846-4890
Maria BazanDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9818-7699
Ami KarlageAriadne Labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Karen SchoenherrAriadne Labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Amanda DiMeoAriadne Labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7827-2258
Saugata ChakrabortyAriadne Labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Rose L MolinaAriadne Labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7977-7960

Funding

AHRQ HHS K12 HS026370AHRQ HHS K12HS026370Ariadne Labs' Spark Grant Seed Funding Program
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCultural brokers bridge cultural and linguistic differences between patients and healthcare teams, but their role in pregnancy care is not well understood. We aimed to identify and describe the roles cultural brokers fulfill throughout pregnancy care, moments of impact when they enhance care for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP), and how to integrate cultural brokering into pregnancy care teams.

methodsWe conducted a descriptive qualitative study nested within a human centered design process. We conducted 21 semi-structured, qualitative interviews among Spanish-speaking pregnancy care patients with LEP, cultural brokers, and pregnancy care clinicians in the Boston metropolitan area between December 2022 and May 2023. Data were coded and analyzed using qualitative content analysis to summarize themes about cultural brokering within pregnancy care. Data were used to create a journey map of an illustrative pregnancy experience.

resultsCultural brokers played five key roles in pregnancy care for Spanish-speaking patients with LEP: cultural bridging, language support, social support, health system navigation, and advocacy. The journey map highlighted moments of impact when cultural brokers enhanced patient care: connecting patients to care, meeting the care team, making informed decisions, connecting to resources, childbirth, and transitioning to parenthood. Most participants wanted cultural brokers to be integrated into pregnancy care teams to diversify teaming and enable shared decision-making; however, additional training, clarifying cultural broker roles, and adequate compensation for cultural brokers would be needed to achieve integration.

conclusionCultural brokers fulfill a critical role during pregnancy care for patients with LEP. However, more work is needed to recognize, value, and integrate cultural brokering into pregnancy care.

Indexed as

Cultural CompetencyCulturally Competent CareLimited English ProficiencyPrenatal CareAdultBostonFemaleHispanic or LatinoHumansInterviews as TopicPregnancyQualitative ResearchSocial SupportWhitecross‐cultural communicationcultural brokerLatine/Hispanicpregnancyprenatal carequality of careSpanish

Identifiers

PMID40251872
PMCPMC12417013

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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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.