Pediatric Resident Post-Rounds Communication With Families Using Languages Other Than English

OBJECTIVE: To quantify differences in pediatric resident post-rounds communication between families who use a language other than English (LOE) vs English through direct observation. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, observational study of pediatric resident post-rounds communication encounters with patients' caregivers at a freestanding children's hospital. We recruited residents rotating on inpatient general pediatric and medical subspecialty services. One investigator observed each resident's behavior over a 4-hour period and documented elements of their communication encounters with caregivers. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize sample characteristics. Mixed effects logistic regression and Poisson regression models were used to analyze the association between caregiver language and post-rounds encounters. RESULTS: We recruited 29 pediatric residents who cared for 104 unique pediatric patients across 114 patient encounters. Most residents (97%) were in their first postgraduate year of training. Thirty-one percent of patients' caregivers used LOE, most frequently Spanish. Residents spent a median of 23 minutes (IQR, 18.7-38.9), approximately 10% of the observation period, communicating with families post-rounds. Overall, 41% (47/114) of caregivers received a post-rounds update. There were no differences in the odds of receiving a post-rounds communication encounter (adjusted odds ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.30-1.91) or the frequency of post-rounds encounters (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.50-1.58) between caregivers who speak LOE vs English. CONCLUSION: We found no differences in the frequency of post-rounds encounters based on caregiver language. Comprehensive interpretation resources and dedicated attention to language access may promote equitable communication during hospitalization.