Children hospitalized longer when parents aren't fluent in English - FierceHealthcare

Children hospitalized for infections were more likely to spend more time in the hospital and were less likely to receive home healthcare referrals if their parents or main caregivers had difficulty speaking English, a new study reports in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

In a nine-year study (between 2000 and 2008), nearly 1,300 children whose parents or caregivers were determined to have limited English proficiency were found to have spent at least 60 percent more time in the hospital when compared to children whose parents/caregivers spoke fluently, said study author Michael Levas, MD, and and his colleagues from Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo.

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Overall, most of the parents and caregivers observed by the researchers--nearly 97 percent--were proficient in English. The 3 percent who were not were more likely to be Latino and either uninsured or insured by Medicaid for both comparisons.

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Presentation Cites Ways to Counteract Low Health Literacy | National Nursing News

Although low health literacy is a significant barrier to quality care, especially among elderly patients, a recent presentation noted how increased use of simple health literacy assessment tests by nurses and clinicians can help improve communication and health outcomes.

Several screening tools are available to assess health literacy but are underutilized, according to a presentation at the 36th Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society by Ellen C. Mullen, RN, ANP-BC, GNP-BC, nurse practitioner in the Lymphoma and Myeloma Center at The University of MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Furthermore, nurses and other health professionals routinely underestimate the prevalence of limited health literacy — the degree to which an individual can obtain, process and understand health information needed to make appropriate health decisions — and overestimate patients’ ability to understand medical information.

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Be your special needs child's advocate during air travel | Best Family Travel Advice

In today’s world of poor customer service and inconsistent policies, self-sufficient travel is the best. It may sound harsh, but nobody else outside your friends and family can be safely relied on to help you and your granddaughters. You can ask the airline to place a note in the reservation, but honestly, the advocacy is up to you.

Firstly, bring a letter from the children’s physician stating their medical needs and then request private screening at TSA. Communicate with the TSA agents at each step and ask for a supervisor if needed. Remain calm: they are not going to respect your situation as much as you’d like them to simply because most people don’t really understand. If you can ask a friend or relative to accompany you through airport security to the gate, that may free you up to care for the girls while the friend helps with belongings.

You may want to see if the girls would wear a mask. Hand washing with soap and water is best, but when on airplanes, use instant hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes, wipe down tray tables and arm rests, and communicate your situation with flight attendants. There is a product that covers the seat called Plane Sheets. If using the airplane lavatory, do not wash hands in there, as there are so many germs on faucet, soap dispenser and door handle; instead use hand sanitizer at your seat.

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