In the U.S. some 176 languages are spoken.
This is especially apparent in hospitals when patients literally do not speak the same language as their doctor.
It is important to know that a hospital is prepared for a diverse pool of patients. Hospitals with a followed policy on language ser-vices cut down on cost and wait times for all patients, regardless of their language.
The leading language services company serving the health care market, CyraCom, has teamed up with Roper Public Affairs to learn more about the scope of the diversity challenge from various experts and thought leaders.
Its 2006 report, “Increasing Diversity: Issues and Opportunities with Providing Health Care,” explores the thought leaders’ perspectives on diversity. The publication also includes statistics from the Language Index, CyraCom’s proprietary database of language information drawn from tracking more than 900 hospitals and health care facilities nationwide.
Information found in the study, which includes expert interviews, referenced source material and Language Index data, includes:
• Excerpts from a report that state...