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Communicating With Spanish-Speaking Patients—Reply
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In Reply: Dr Bryan describes differences in Spanish language by region and country of origin. Although this point is valid, and there is some risk that regional differences in Spanish language, colloquialisms, or slang terminology could result in medical interpretation errors, Spanish is one language that can be readily understood by native speakers from any country for which the primary language is Spanish.
In Spanish language communication, as in English or any other language, educational level and literacy will influence the level of understanding; as noted in our article, the prevalence of low health literacy is higher among Spanish speakers (62%) compared with English speakers (46%).1 Trained professional interpreters and true native speakers are able to inquire about slang words and regional differences in terminology; they can otherwise communicate effectively with the patient no matter what region of Latin America or Spain the patient is from. Standard methods have been . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH
aksmith@ucsf.edu
Rebecca L. Sudore, MD;
Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, MD
Department of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco
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Communicating With Spanish-Speaking Patients
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