Assessing effective interventions to bridge linguistic gaps and improve health outcomes for immigrant populations: A narrative review

Immigrants currently comprise approximately 281 million people globally. As their populations continue to rise, receiving countries often face difficulties with seamlessly integrating them into society: specifically, with healthcare. This review aims to assess the effectiveness of interventions that aim to bridge the linguistic gaps in immigrant healthcare. It focuses on the four following primary categories: professional medical interpreters, language services (telephone & video), multilingual offline resources, and technological interventions. It was found that medical interpreters have consistently illustrated their positive impact on Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients and healthcare outcomes; however, the primary limitation is their limited availability in the wide variety of languages required and they are often understaffed. Telephone and video services were found to be a potential alternative in place of on-site human resources; however, their quality is more dependent on the specific service and quality of technology. There was limited literature found on multilingual offline resources but it is believed that these could be crucial supplements to live interpreting, especially in areas where technology or skilled human resources are scarce. Finally, technological interventions were found to vary in practicality and effectiveness depending on the service.