Knowing limited English affects ED care

Knowing limited English impacts a patient’s quality of care in the pediatric emergency department (ED). A retrospective review of more than 119,700 patients discharged from a pediatric tertiary-care ED during a 2-year period found that patients (mean age, 7.6 years) whose primary language was not English were 1.3 times more likely than English speakers to have a return visit for admission within 72 hours of discharge. The increased risk remained significant after controlling for age, emergency severity index, and time of day (Gallagher RA, et al. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2013;29[5]:579-583). 

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