Understanding Telehealth Barriers for Limited English Proficiency Patients

Research shows that patients with limited English proficiency may struggle to access and use telehealth services, but several strategies can be employed to address this issue. The benefits that telehealth adoption and use can provide patients are well-documented. From increasing healthcare access to reducing exposure to infectious diseases to enhancing convenience, the patient care benefits of telehealth are myriad. As a result, though telehealth use has leveled off since its peak in 2020, usage has stabilized at higher rates than before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, under 2 percent of patients used telehealth only or a mix of telehealth and in-person care services, according to data from market research firm Trilliant Health. That figure rose to about 28 percent in 2020 and dropped to 19 percent in the first and second quarters of 2022. But even with telehealth remaining a popular mode of care delivery, the pandemic threw into sharp relief the hurdles facing certain patients when trying to access virtual care.

Medigy Insights

Studies have shown that patients with LEP have lower rates of telehealth use compared to those who speak English fluently. These barriers can include difficulty understanding information about telehealth services, difficulty communicating with providers during virtual appointments, and a lack of resources available in non-English languages. To address these challenges, government departments have issued guidance to help mitigate the issue, including providing access to interpreters, offering information about telehealth services in non-English languages, and identifying the primary languages of LEP patients so that healthcare providers can create multilingual resources and plan for interpreter support.