Spanish-Speaking Hispanic Patients' Information-Sharing Preferences During Hospitalization: An Exploratory Pilot Study

Marge Benham-Hutchins; Sharon A Brown; Erin E Donovan; Henry Guevara; Alisha H Johnson

doi:10.2196/10782

Spanish-Speaking Hispanic Patients' Information-Sharing Preferences During Hospitalization: An Exploratory Pilot Study

J Particip Med. 2018 Dec 6;10(4):e10782. doi: 10.2196/10782.

Authors

Marge Benham-Hutchins^{1

2}, Sharon A Brown¹, Erin E Donovan^{2

3}, Henry Guevara⁴, Alisha H Johnson¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.
² Center for Health Communication, Moody College of Communication and Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.
³ Department of Communication Studies, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.
⁴ Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.

PMID: 33052124
PMCID: PMC7434076
DOI: 10.2196/10782

Abstract

Background: Self-management of chronic conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, requires the coordination of care across multiple care settings. Current patient-centered, hospital-based care initiatives, including bedside nursing handoff and multidisciplinary rounds, often focus on provider information exchange and roles but fall short of the goals of participatory medicine, which recognize the right of patients to partner in their own care and play an active role in self-management.

Objective: This study aimed to elicit Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients' perspectives on the exchange and sharing of information during hospitalization.

Methods: This exploratory pilot study incorporated a qualitative descriptive approach by using Spanish language focus groups, posthospitalization, to determine patient-identified information needs during hospitalization.

Results: Participants preferred paper-based Spanish language medical information. Doctors and nurses were key information providers and communicated with participants verbally, usually with the assistance of a translator. Participants expressed a desire to be informed about medication and treatments, including side effects and why there were changes in medication during hospitalization. In addition, they expressed interest in knowing about the progress of their condition and when they could expect to go home. Emotional readiness to receive information about their condition and prognosis was identified as an individual barrier to asking questions and seeking additional information about their condition(s).

Conclusions: Overall, participants shared positive experiences with providers during hospitalization and the usefulness of self-care instructions. Language was not recognized as a barrier by any of the participants. Nevertheless, future research on the influence of emotional readiness on the timing of medical information is needed.

Keywords: Hispanic; cancer; chronic disease; diabetes; self-management.

©Marge Benham-Hutchins, Sharon A Brown, Erin E Donovan, Henry Guevara, Alisha H Johnson. Originally published in Journal of Participatory Medicine (http://jopm.jmir.org), 06.12.2018.