Comparing Remote Interpreter Modalities in the Pediatric Emergency Department

NCT ID: NCT01986179

Last Updated: 2015-05-20

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 208 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2014-02-28
• Study Completion Date: 2014-08-31

Brief Summary

Professional interpretation improves quality of care for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). However, many health care settings lack access to professional interpreters, and even in locations with good access, logistical factors and perceived barriers have limited their widespread use. Remote methods of professional interpretation, including telephone and video, hold great promise for expanding access, but only limited data exist on the relative impacts of these modalities on patient care and provider uptake. Comparing how these modalities impact multiple aspects of health care quality, including family comprehension, provider communication, and consistency of provider interpreter use will inform dissemination of strategies for delivery of safe, efficient, and equitable care to LEP families.

Aim 1: To determine whether randomly assigned remote interpreter modality (telephone versus video) impacts parent-reported quality of communication and interpretation, diagnosis comprehension, and length of stay (LOS) among LEP Spanish-speaking families seen in a pediatric Emergency Department (ED).

Hypothesis 1: Parent-reported quality of communication and interpretation and parent diagnosis comprehension will be higher among families assigned to video interpretation compared to telephone interpretation.

Hypothesis 2: LOS will not differ between families assigned to video and telephone interpretation.

Aim 2: To determine whether assigned interpreter modality is associated with provider decision to communicate without professional interpretation.

Hypothesis 3: Parent-reported provider communication without professional interpretation (e.g. using the patient or a family member to interpret for some part of the visit) will be lower for families assigned to video interpretation compared to telephone interpretation.

Conditions

Limited English Proficient Patients and Families

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Telephone Interpretation

These families will be assigned to use telephone interpretation throughout the ED visit.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Telephone Interpretation

Intervention Type: OTHER

Professional interpretation provided over the phone by a national network of certified medical interpreters

Video Interpretation

These families will be assigned to use video interpretation throughout the ED visit.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Video Interpretation

Intervention Type: OTHER

Professional interpretation provided over video by a national network of certified medical interpreters

Interventions

Telephone Interpretation

Professional interpretation provided over the phone by a national network of certified medical interpreters

Intervention Type: OTHER

Video Interpretation

Professional interpretation provided over video by a national network of certified medical interpreters

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Preferred language for medical care of Spanish
• At least one primary caregiver requires interpretation
• Presenting to Seattle Children's ED during recruiting hours

Exclusion Criteria

• Triage level 1 (life-threatening illness)
• No parent or legal guardian present
• Reason for visit is concern for abuse
• reason for visit is primary behavioral or psychiatric complaint

• Minimum Eligible Age: 1 Day
• Maximum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Seattle Children's Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

K. Casey Lion

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

K. Casey Lion, MD, MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Seattle Children's Hospital

Locations

Seattle Children's Hospital Emergency Department

Seattle, Washington, United States

Countries

United States

References

Lion KC, Gritton J, Scannell J, Brown JC, Ebel BE, Klein EJ, Mangione-Smith R. Patterns and Predictors of Professional Interpreter Use in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Pediatrics. 2021 Feb;147(2):e20193312. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-3312.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 33468598 (View on PubMed)

Lion KC, Brown JC, Ebel BE, Klein EJ, Strelitz B, Gutman CK, Hencz P, Fernandez J, Mangione-Smith R. Effect of Telephone vs Video Interpretation on Parent Comprehension, Communication, and Utilization in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2015 Dec;169(12):1117-25. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.2630.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 26501862 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

14647

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id