@article {Gonz{\'a}lez745, author = {Hector M. Gonz{\'a}lez and William A. Vega and Wassim Tarraf}, title = {Health Care Quality Perceptions among Foreign-Born Latinos and the Importance of Speaking the Same Language}, volume = {23}, number = {6}, pages = {745--752}, year = {2010}, doi = {10.3122/jabfm.2010.06.090264}, publisher = {The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine}, abstract = {Objectives: To examine the relationship between patients{\textquoteright} English proficiency, patient-provider language concordance, and health care quality among foreign-born Latinos in the United States.Methods: National probability sample data (from the Pew Hispanic Center/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Latino Health Survey) were analyzed from telephone interviews with foreign-born Latino adults (n = 2921; aged 18 years and older). There were 3 main outcomes related to clinical experiences using self-reports of confusion, frustration, and perception of poor quality of care received because of English-speaking ability and accent bias, as well as an overall rating of care quality. Patients{\textquoteright} English proficiency and patient-provider language concordance were the chief predictors.Results: Patients{\textquoteright} English proficiency was not significantly associated with the 3 clinical experiences measures and marginally so with overall care quality ratings. Language concordance was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of confusion, frustration, and language-related poor quality ratings, and was positively associated with patient-reported overall quality of care. In addition, providers{\textquoteright} language concordance attenuated the statistical significance of the effects of patients{\textquoteright} English proficiency when both were modeled simultaneously.Conclusion: Patient-provider language concordance plays an important role in communication barriers among foreign-born Latino patients. Our findings indicate that although patients{\textquoteright} language proficiency is important to health care quality ratings, what may matter more is when patient and provider speak the same language.}, issn = {1557-2625}, URL = {https://www.jabfm.org/content/23/6/745}, eprint = {https://www.jabfm.org/content/23/6/745.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine} }