A positive relationship between a patient and doctor is crucial for maintaining good health, especially as recent research has shown how common language in this interaction can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, thereby contributing to longer life expectancy.
Researchers from the University of Ottawa and the University of Manitoba conducted a retrospective cohort study that examined Canadians with hypertension whose preferred language was neither English nor French. The findings revealed that these patients were 36 percent less likely to experience major adverse cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, heart failure, or strokes when treated by doctors who spoke their native language. Furthermore, those receiving care from linguistically concordant doctors had a 28 percent lower risk of mortality compared to patients whose caregivers did not speak their preferred tongue.
Michael Reaume, a resident in the Department of Nephrology at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, led this study. It involved 124,583 participants who spoke over 90 languages. He noted that if such an effective treatment as language-concordant care existed—decreasing major adverse cardiovascular events by 36 percent and all-cause mortality by 28 percent—it would be immediately administered to patients. This underscores the need to address language barriers in healthcare systems with similar urgency.
Reaume emphasizes that collecting preferred language information for all patients systematically is essential. This data allows healthcare providers to match patients with doctors who are proficient in their native tongue, as well as identify those needing professional interpretation services. “This information is critical,” he said, “as it enables us to ensure linguistic diversity among healthcare professionals and improve patient care.”
The proposed recommendations include optimizing language-concordant care delivery, which could lead to substantial reductions in cardiovascular outcomes and better overall population health. Another key recommendation is advocating for increased access to medical education that promotes linguistic diversity among healthcare providers within minority language communities.
Moreover, it’s crucial that the languages spoken by both patients and healthcare providers are systematically collected. This will enable healthcare systems to develop effective strategies aimed at pairing patients with proficient bilingual or multilingual doctors, ultimately enhancing treatment efficacy and patient satisfaction.
