title: "Does this doctor speak my language?" Improving the characterization of physician non-English language skills.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the initial impact of an organizational policy change on measurement of physician non-English language proficiency.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multispecialty health care organization in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  
  
  METHODS
  In response to preliminary findings suggesting that the organization's nonvalidated and undefined three-category tool for physician self-report of non-English language proficiency levels was likely inadequate, the organization asked physicians to rate their non-English language proficiency levels using an adapted Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, a validated measure with five rating levels and descriptors. We then compared the self-reported language proficiency on the original scale and the ILR for those physicians who completed both and used regression analysis to investigate physician characteristics potentially associated with a change in score on the old versus ILR scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six months after the ILR scale was implemented throughout the organization, 75 percent (258/342) of physicians had updated their language proficiency ratings. Among clinicians who had previously rated themselves in the "Medical/Conversational" category, there were substantial variations in scores using the ILR scale. Physicians who spoke two or more non-English languages were significantly more likely to lower their self-reported proficiency when updating from the old scale to the ILR scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The organization was willing to adopt a relatively straightforward change in how data were collected and presented to patients based on the face validity of initial findings. This organizational policy change appeared to improve how self-reported physician language proficiency was characterized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service, 641 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022, USA. diamondl@mskcc.org
authors.forename: Lisa C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: Harold S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Luft
authors.forename: Sukyung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Jacobs
mesh_terms: D003144:Communication Barriers; D054521:Cultural Competency; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care; D058996:Quality Improvement; D044469:Racial Groups; D012495:San Francisco
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2007 Nov;22 Suppl 2:294-9
references.pmid: 17957414
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2004 Feb;19(2):167-74
references.pmid: 15009796
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2007 Nov;22 Suppl 2:331-5
references.pmid: 17957420
references.citation: JAMA. 2009 Jan 28;301(4):426-8
references.pmid: 19176445
references.citation: JAMA. 1996 Mar 13;275(10):783-8
references.pmid: 8598595
references.citation: Med Care. 1997 Dec;35(12):1212-9
references.pmid: 9413309
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2007 Nov;22 Suppl 2:306-11
references.pmid: 17957416
references.citation: J Immigr Minor Health. 2009 Dec;11(6):494-8
references.pmid: 19152110
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2007 Nov;22 Suppl 2:324-30
references.pmid: 17957419
references.citation: Med Care. 1988 Dec;26(12):1119-28
references.pmid: 3199910
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2005 Nov;20(11):1050-6
references.pmid: 16307633
references.citation: Teach Learn Med. 2009 Oct;21(4):305-9
references.pmid: 20183357
references.citation: J Am Board Fam Pract. 2004 May-Jun;17(3):165-72
references.pmid: 15226280
references.citation: Am J Manag Care. 2004 Sep;10 Spec No:SP29-36
references.pmid: 15481434
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2011 Feb;101(2):205-8
references.pmid: 21228282