Strategies to reduce language barriers in clinical research: A national survey of pediatric health researchers

To evaluate pediatric health researchers’ access to language services, identify barriers to including participants with limited-English proficiency (LEP), and assess the perceived importance of their inclusion and the availability of institutional support. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with pediatric health researchers across Canada. Those who conduct child health research and communicate directly with study participants through verbal and/or written communication were invited to participate. We received 146 responses to the survey. A key barrier to including participants with LEP was insufficient funding for language services. Only 25.3% of survey respondents reported having access to free interpretation services for research purposes through their institution, and just 16.4% had access to free translation services. Despite 91.5% of researchers acknowledging the importance of including participants with LEP, 72.6% admitted to excluding them at least some of the time. Additionally, 42.5% fail to provide accommodations for participants with LEP in their research. Time was also a major barrier to including participants with LEP in research as 48.6% of participants identified it as one of their top barriers in addition to costs of language services. This study underscores the gap between researchers' recognition of the importance of including participants with LEP and their practices. Cost and time are major barriers, highlighting the need to improve access to language services and resources. Future research should focus on strategies to bridge this gap and promote equitable inclusion of participants with LEP.