title: Does a video-interpreting network improve delivery of care in the emergency department?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the impact of a policy change from use of telephonic and face-to-face interpreting to use of a video-interpreting network on Emergency Department (ED) care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study of ED care at two California hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared tests ordered, time in the ED, and admission rates for English- and Spanish-speaking patients presenting with chest pain and abdominal pain before and after the policy change.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were extracted from electronic medical and billing records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean time in the ED, mean number of laboratory tests, radiology services, electrocardiograms, and echocardiograms, and rates of hospital admission for both language groups at both hospitals went down in the post-video-interpreting network period compared with the pre-video-interpreting network period. The percentage of patients leaving the ED against medical advice (AMA) increased in one hospital for both language groups; this increase was statistically significantly smaller in the Spanish-language group compared with the English group (p = .04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The studied video-interpreting network had minimal impact on health care outcomes in the ED.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 800 University Bay Drive, Madison, WI 53705, USA. eajacobs@medicine.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rathouz
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D019937:Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014175:Translating; D049269:Videoconferencing; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
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