Anna María Nápoles

Reviews: Developing Culturally Sensitive Dementia Caregiver Interventions: Are We There Yet?

Despite evidence of ethnic differences in family caregivers’ experiences, the extent to which caregiver interventions are culturally tailored to address these differences is unknown. A systematic review of literature published from 1980 to 2009 identified: differences in caregiving experiences of African American, Latino, and Chinese American caregivers; psychosocial support interventions in these groups; and cultural tailoring of interventions. Ethnic differences in caregiving occurred at multiple levels (intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental) and in multiple domains (psychosocial health, life satisfaction, caregiving appraisals, spirituality, coping, self-efficacy, physical functioning, social support, filial responsibility, familism, views toward elders, use of formal services and health care). Only 18 of 47 intervention articles reported outcomes by caregiver ethnicity. Only 11 reported cultural tailoring; 8 were from the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health (REACH) initiative. Cultural tailoring addressed familism, language, literacy, protecting elders, and logistical barriers. Results suggest that more caregiver intervention studies evaluating systematically the benefits of cultural tailoring are needed.

Language Barriers and Understanding of Hospital Discharge Instructions

Background:Effective communication at hospital discharge is necessary for an optimal transition and to avoid adverse events. We investigated the association of a language barrier with patient understanding of discharge instructions. Methods:Spanish-speaking, Chinese-speaking, and English-speaking patients admitted to 2 urban hospitals between 2005 and 2008, comparing patient understanding of follow-up appointment type, and medication category and purpose between limited English-proficient (LEP) and English-proficient patients. Results:Of the 308 patients, 203 were LEP. Rates of understanding were low overall for follow-up appointment type (56%) and the 3 medication outcomes (category 48%, purpose 55%, both 41%). In unadjusted analysis, LEP patients were less likely than English-proficient patients to know appointment type (50% vs. 66%; P=0.01), medication category (45% vs. 54%; P=0.05), and medication category and purpose combined (38% vs. 47%; P=0.04), but equally likely to know medication purpose alone. These results persisted in the adjusted models for medication outcomes: LEP patients had lower odds of understanding medication category (odds ratio 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.42–0.95); and category/purpose (odds ratio 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.39–0.89). Conclusions:Understanding of appointment type and medications after discharge was low, with LEP patients demonstrating worse understanding of medications. System interventions to improve communication at hospital discharge for all patients, and especially those with LEP, are needed.

Clinician ratings of interpreter mediated visits in underserved primary care settings with ad hoc, in-person professional, and video conferencing modes.

Linguistic interpretation ameliorates health disparities disfavoring underserved limited English-proficient patients, yet few studies have compared clinician satisfaction with these services. Self-administered clinician post-visit surveys compared the quality of interpretation and communication, visit satisfaction, degree of patient engagement, and cultural competence of visits using untrained people acting as interpreters (ad hoc), in-person professional, or video conferencing professional interpretation for 283 visits. Adjusting for clinician and patient characteristics, the quality of interpretation of in-person and video conferencing modes were rated similarly (OR 1.79, 95% CI 0.74, 4.33). The quality of in-person (OR 5.55, 95% CI 1.50, 20.51) and video conferencing (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.16, 8.31) were rated higher than ad hoc interpretation. Self-assessed cultural competence was better for in-person versus video conferencing interpretation (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.11, 4.86). Video conferencing interpretation increases access without compromising quality, but cultural nuances may be better addressed by in-person interpreters. Professional interpretation is superior to ad hoc (OR 4.15, 95% CI 1.43, 12.09).

Methods for Translating Evidence-Based Behavioral Interventions for Health-Disparity Communities

Populations composed of racial/ethnic minorities, disabled persons, and people with low socioeconomic status have worse health than their counterparts. Implementing evidence-based behavioral interventions (EBIs) to prevent and manage chronic disease and disability in community settings could help ameliorate disparities. Although numerous models of implementation processes are available, they are broad in scope, few offer specific methodological guidance, and few address the special issues in reaching vulnerable populations. Drawing from 2 existing models, we describe 7 methodological phases in the process of translating and implementing EBIs in communities to reach these vulnerable groups: establish infrastructure for translation partnership, identify multiple inputs (information gathering), review and distill information (synthesis), adapt and integrate program components (translation), build general and specific capacity (support system), implement intervention (delivery system), and develop appropriate designs and measures (evaluation). For each phase, we describe specific methodological steps and resources and provide examples from research on racial/ethnic minorities, disabled persons, and those with low socioeconomic status. Our methods focus on how to incorporate adaptations so that programs fit new community contexts, meet the needs of individuals in health-disparity populations, capitalize on scientific evidence, and use and build community assets and resources. A key tenet of our approach is to integrate EBIs with community best practices to the extent possible while building local capacity. We discuss tradeoffs between maintaining fidelity to the EBIs while maximizing fit to the new context. These methods could advance our ability to implement potentially effective interventions to reduce health disparities.

Life Experience and Demographic Influences on Cognitive Function in Older Adults

OBJECTIVE We examined the influence of a broad spectrum of life experiences on longitudinal cognitive trajectories in a demographically diverse sample of older adults. METHOD Participants were 333 educationally, ethnically, and cognitively diverse older adults enrolled in a longitudinal aging study. Mixed-effects regression was used to measure baseline status in episodic memory, executive functioning, and semantic memory and change in a global cognition factor defined by change in these 3 domain-specific measures. We examined effects of life experience variables (literacy, childhood socioeconomic status, morphometric measures of physical development, life course physical and recreational activity) on longitudinal cognitive trajectories, covarying for age, apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype and demographics (education, ethnicity, language). RESULTS Non-Latino Whites had higher baseline cognition, but life experience variables attenuated ethnic differences in cognitive scores. Age, literacy, childhood socioeconomic status, and physical activity significantly influenced baseline cognition. Age, APOE ε4, and decline in intellectually and socially stimulating recreational activity from mid to late life were independently associated with increased late life cognitive decline. Higher literacy and late life recreational activity were associated with less decline. Literacy had similar effects for English and Spanish readers/speakers. Bilingual English and Spanish speakers did not differ from English Speakers in cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS Life experience variables, especially literacy level, were strongly related to baseline cognition and substantially attenuated effects of race/ethnicity and education. Cognitive change was best explained by age, APOE ε4, literacy, and current recreational activities. Literacy had robust associations with baseline cognition and cognitive change in both English and Spanish speakers.

Inaccurate Language Interpretation and Its Clinical Significance in the Medical Encounters of Spanish-speaking Latinos.

Background:Limited English-proficient patients suffer poorer quality of care and outcomes. Interpreters can ameliorate these disparities; however, evidence is lacking on the quality of different interpretation modes. Objective:Compare accuracy of interpretation for in-person (IP) professional, professional videoconferencing (VC), and ad hoc (AH) interpretation. Design:A cross-sectional study of transcribed audiotaped primary care visits. Subjects:Subjects included 32 Spanish-speaking Latino patients and 14 clinicians. Measures:Independent coding of transcripts by 4 coders (2 were internists) for accurate and inaccurate interpretation instances. Unit of analysis was a segment of continuous speech or text unit (TU). Two internists independently verified inaccurate interpretation instances and rated their clinical significance as clinically insignificant, mildly, moderately, or highly clinically significant. Results:Accurate interpretation made up 70% of total coded TUs and inaccurate interpretation (errors) made up 30%. Inaccurate interpretation occurred at twice the rate for AH (54% of coded TUs) versus IP (25%) and VC (23%) interpretation, due to more errors of omission (P<0.001) and answers for patient or clinician (P<0.001). Mean number of errors per visit was 27, with 7.1% of errors rated as moderately/highly clinically significant. In adjusted models, the odds of inaccurate interpretation were lower for IP (OR=0.25, 95% CI, 0.19, 0.33) and VC (OR=0.31; 95% CI, 0.17, 0.56) than for AH interpreted visits; the odds of a moderately/highly clinically significant error were lower for IP (OR=0.25; 95% CI, 0.06, 0.99) than for AH interpreted visits. Conclusions:Inaccurate language interpretation in medical encounters is common and more frequent when untrained interpreters are used compared with professional IP or through VC. Professional VC interpretation may increase access to higher quality medical interpretation services.

Nuevo Amanecer: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Community-Based, Peer-Delivered Stress Management Intervention to Improve Quality of Life in Latinas With Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVES We evaluated a community-based, translational stress management program to improve health-related quality of life in Spanish-speaking Latinas with breast cancer. METHODS We adapted a cognitive-behavioral stress management program integrating evidence-based and community best practices to address the needs of Latinas with breast cancer. Spanish-speaking Latinas with breast cancer were randomly assigned to an intervention or usual-care control group. Trained peers delivered the 8-week intervention between February 2011 and February 2014. Primary outcomes were breast cancer-specific quality of life and distress, and general symptoms of distress. RESULTS Of 151 participants, 95% were retained at 6 months (between May 2011 and May 2014). Improvements in quality of life from baseline to 6 months were greater for the intervention than the control group on physical well-being, emotional well-being, breast cancer concerns, and overall quality of life. Decreases from baseline to 6 months were greater for the intervention group on depression and somatization. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that translation of evidence-based programs can reduce psychosocial health disparities in Latinas with breast cancer. Integration of this program into community-based organizations enhances its dissemination potential.

Satisfaction with treatment decision-making and treatment regret among Latinas and non-Latina whites with DCIS.

OBJECTIVE To examine differences in treatment decision-making participation, satisfaction, and regret among Latinas and non-Latina whites with DCIS. METHODS Survey of Latina and non-Latina white women diagnosed with DCIS. We assessed womens preferences for involvement in decision-making, primary treatment decision maker, and participatory decision-making. We examined primary outcomes of satisfaction with treatment decision-making and treatment regret by ethnic-language group. RESULTS Among 745 participants (349 Latinas, 396 white) Spanish-speaking Latinas (SSL) had the highest mean preference for involvement in decision-making score and the lowest mean participatory decision-making score and were more likely to defer their final treatment decision to their physicians than English-speaking Latinas or whites (26%, 13%, 18%, p<0.05). SSLs reported lower satisfaction with treatment decision-making (OR 0.4; CI 95%, 0.2-0.8) and expressed more regret than whites (OR 6.2; CI 95%, 3.0-12.4). More participatory decision-making increased the odds of satisfaction (OR 1.5; CI 95%, 1.3-1.8) and decreased the odds of treatment regret (OR 0.8; CI 95%, 0.7-1.0), independent of ethnicity-language. CONCLUSION Language barriers impede the establishment of decision-making partnerships between Latinas and their physicians, and result in less satisfaction with the decision-making process and more treatment regret. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Use of professional interpreters may address communication-related disparities for these women.

Adjuvant Hormonal Therapy Use Among Women with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

OBJECTIVE In the absence of consistent guidelines for the use of adjuvant hormonal therapy (HT) in treating ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), our purpose was to explore a variety of factors associated with discussion, use, and discontinuation of this therapy for DCIS, including patient, tumor, and treatment-related characteristics and physician-patient communication factors. METHODS We identified women from eight California Cancer Registry regions diagnosed with DCIS from 2002 through 2005, aged ≥18 years, of Latina or non-Latina white race/ethnicity. A total of 744 women were interviewed an average of 24 months postdiagnosis about whether they had (1) discussed with a physician, (2) used, and (3) discontinued adjuvant HT. RESULTS Although 83% of women discussed adjuvant HT with a physician, 47% used adjuvant HT, and 23% of users reported discontinuation by a median of 11 months. In multivariable adjusted analyses, Latina Spanish speakers were less likely than white women to discuss therapy (odds ratio [OR] 0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.18-0.69) and more likely to discontinue therapy (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.05-6.81). Seeing an oncologist for follow-up care was associated with discussion (OR 5.10, 95% CI 3.14-8.28) and use of therapy (OR 4.20, 95% CI 2.05-8.61). Similarly, physician recommendation that treatment was necessary vs. optional was positively associated with use (OR 11.2, 95% CI 6.50-19.4) and inversely associated with discontinuation (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.19-0.73). CONCLUSIONS Physician recommendation is an important factor associated with use and discontinuation of adjuvant HT for DCIS. Differences in discussion and discontinuation of therapy according to patient characteristics, particularly ethnicity/language, suggest challenges to physician-patient communication about adjuvant HT across a language barrier.

Advancing the Science of Recruitment and Retention of Ethnically Diverse Populations

We highlight several critical challenges that must be addressed to accelerate the advancement of the science on recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse older adults into health research. These include the relative lack of attention by researchers to methodological issues related to recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse populations and the inadequacy of funding to advance systematically this field. We describe strategies used by the Resource Centers on Minority Aging Research and other National Institute of Aging-funded programs to advance the science of recruitment of ethnically diverse older adults. Finally, we propose a set of broad recommendations designed to generate a body of evidence on successful methods of recruitment and retention of ethnically diverse populations in health research. To eliminate health disparities and better understand aging processes in ethnically diverse populations, much more research is needed on effective strategies for increasing minority enrollment in health research. Comparative effectiveness research on more intensive recruitment and retention methods, which are often needed for including diverse populations, will require dedicated funding and concerted efforts by investigators.