title: Accuracy of race, ethnicity, and language preference in an electronic health record.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Collection of data on race, ethnicity, and language preference is required as part of the "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs). These data serve as a foundation for interventions to reduce health disparities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to compare the accuracy of EHR-recorded data on race, ethnicity, and language preference to that reported directly by patients.
  Data collected as part of a tobacco cessation intervention for minority and low-income smokers across a network of 13 primary care clinics (n = 569).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were more likely to self-report Hispanic ethnicity (19.6 % vs. 16.6 %, p < 0.001) and African American race (27.0 % vs. 20.4 %, p < 0.001) than was reported in the EHR. Conversely, patients were less likely to complete the survey in Spanish than the language preference noted in the EHR suggested (5.1 % vs. 6.3 %, p < 0.001). Thirty percent of whites self-reported identification with at least one other racial or ethnic group, as did 37.0 % of Hispanics, and 41.0 % of African Americans. Over one-third of EHR-documented Spanish speakers elected to take the survey in English. One-fifth of individuals who took the survey in Spanish were recorded in the EHR as English-speaking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrate important inaccuracies and the need for better processes to document race/ ethnicity and language preference in EHRs.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1620 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02120, USA.
authors.forename: Elissa V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Klinger
authors.forename: Sara V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Carlini
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Stella St
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hubert
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Linder
authors.forename: Nancy A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Rigotti
authors.forename: Emily Z
authors.initials: EZ
authors.lastname: Kontos
authors.forename: Elyse R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Lucas X
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Marinacci
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Haas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards*; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000592:standards*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057566:Self Report; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult