For Latina moms, pediatrician’s personality, empathy trump knowledge of Spanish, quick service

A small study of Latina women with young children led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center shows moms value a pediatrician’s empathy and warmth far more than their ability to speak Spanish or other conveniences.

February 23, 2012 in Health Medical Xpress

The lead investigator a pediatrics fellow at Johns Hopkins, conducted the research during post-residency training at the University of Michigan as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar.

The study involved interviews with 38 Latina mothers with limited English proficiency whose infants and young children received care at 10 primary-care community clinics in Detroit. More than 90 percent of the mothers were of Mexican descent, and most of the children were born in the United States.

Researchers say the study was undertaken in an effort to better understand how to service the needs of Latino children, who make up the largest minority population of children in the United States. These children also have worse access and suboptimal primary care compared with other children. The gaps in care are particularly wide among Latino children who live in homes with limited English proficiency, the researchers say.

But the current study suggests that reducing healthcare disparities among these children has little to do with bridging language gaps and more to do with the “good old fundamentals” of physician-patient interaction such as genuine concern, compassion and spending time to do a thorough physical exam, the investigators say. Read More