P0348 - Language Diversity in Healthcare: How it Affects Colon Cancer Readmission Rates

Rajmohan Rammohan, MD, Melvin Joy, MD, Sai Greeshma Magam, MD, Dilman Natt, MD, Achal Patel, MD, Abhishek Tadikonda, MD, Tulika Saggar, MD, Jiten Desai, MD, Sandra Gomez, MD, Saher Sheikh, MD, Rucha Jiyani, MD, Paul Mustacchia, MD, MBA
Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, NY

Introduction: Patients who have been diagnosed with colon cancer encounter various obstacles and require a comprehensive comprehension of their diagnosis and suggested treatments to make knowledgeable decisions about their medical care. Health literacy plays a critical role in this process, and insufficient health literacy skills may lead to unfavorable outcomes. The readmission rate for colon cancer may be impacted by language barriers and low literacy rates, raising concerns. This study aims to analyze the 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day readmission rates with regard to patients' language and identify any health equity disparities.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from Colon Cancer patients admitted to our hospital between 2009 and 2022, collecting information on their comorbidities, insurance status, surgical procedures, Cancer grade, colonoscopy reports, and baseline characteristics. Deceased patients were excluded. Patients were categorized based on their language, and propensity score matching was used to balance baseline characteristics. We used a Chi-Square test and Pearson correlation to explore the relationship between language and readmission rates

Results: A total of 701 patients were enrolled in the study, with 341(49%) being female, and the average median age group being 55.6±5.9 years. Patients were categorized into four groups based on their language, and baseline characteristics were balanced using propensity score matching. Patients who spoke English had significantly higher readmission rates at 30 days than those who spoke other languages (47vs.7vs.15 vs.14, P=0.025, Correlation: 0.68). Additionally, English speakers had significantly higher readmission rates at 60 days than those who spoke other languages (25vs.3vs.8 vs.30,P< 0.01, Correlation:0.78). English speakers also had significantly higher readmission rates at 90 days than those who spoke other languages (10vs.2 vs.11 vs.10,P< 0.01, Correlation: 0.55). Among Non-English speakers, patients with insurance status had significantly higher readmission rates than those without insurance (OR: 3.025,p< 0.021)

Discussion: This study is a promising step towards investigating the influence of language barriers on readmission rates in colon cancer patients. Recognizing linguistic abilities is critical for addressing healthcare disparities. Additional research on language discordance is necessary to mitigate the risk of language-discordant clinical encounters and the negative health outcomes related to such encounters




Disclosures:


Rajmohan Rammohan, MD, Melvin Joy, MD, Sai Greeshma Magam, MD, Dilman Natt, MD, Achal Patel, MD, Abhishek Tadikonda, MD, Tulika Saggar, MD, Jiten Desai, MD, Sandra Gomez, MD, Saher Sheikh, MD, Rucha Jiyani, MD, Paul Mustacchia, MD, MBA. P0348 - Language Diversity in Healthcare: How it Affects Colon Cancer Readmission Rates, ACG 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Vancouver, BC, Canada: American College of Gastroenterology.