JCAHO standard targets patients’ language needs
Safety of care at issue?
Hospitals will be required by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), beginning in January 2006, to document each patient’s language and communication needs in the medical record.
The revised information-management standard (IM.6.20) is designed to allow the patient’s language and communication needs "to be easily shared across the continuum of care," according to a JCAHO statement that also refers to research that shows that language and cultural differences can affect the quality and safety of care.
The standard will not require providers to collect information on patients’ race and ethnicity, as proposed in a draft standard.
An article on the agency’s web site (www.jcaho. org) said "the delivery of health care services in a manner that is respectful and appropriate to an individual’s language and culture is more than simply a patient’s right, but is, in fact, a key factor in the safety and quality of patient care."
The article also cited "Hospitals, Language, and Culture: A Snapshot of the Nation," a 30-month study funded by The California Endowment that began in January 2004, which will gather data on a sample of hospitals to assess their capacity to address the issues of language and culture that affect the quality and safety of patient care.
A toolkit for collecting related information in health care organizations, the article explained, has been developed by the Health Research and Educational Trust.
The toolkit, available at www.hretdisparities.org, is designed to help hospitals and other users understand the importance of accurate data collection, assess organizational capacity to do so, and implement a framework for obtaining such information efficiently, effectively, and respectfully, the article said.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, meanwhile, has released its second national report on disparities in health care. The report is available at www.qualitytools.ahrq.gov.
Safety of care at issue? Hospitals will be required by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), beginning in January 2006, to document each patients language and communication needs in the medical record.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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