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Interventions for End of Life Decision Making for Patients with Limited English Proficiency

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Abstract

Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) experience disparities in end-of-life decision making and advance care planning. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review to assess the literature about interventions addressing these issues. Our search strategy was built around end-of-life (EOL), LEP, ACP, and goals of care. The databases included Ovid MEDLINE(R), and Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Daily from 1946 to November 9, 2018, Ovid EMBASE. Eight studies from the US and Australia were included (seven studies in Spanish and one study in Greek and Italian). Interventions used trained personnel, video images, web-based programs, and written materials. Interventions were associated with increased advance directive completion and decreased preferences for some life-prolonging treatments. Interventions were deemed to be feasible and acceptable. Few interventions exist to improve end-of-life care for patients with LEP. Data are limited regarding intervention effectiveness.

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Funding

This study was supported by Grant Number UL1 TR002377 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Correspondence to Amelia Barwise.

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Barwise, A., Balls-Berry, J., Soleimani, J. et al. Interventions for End of Life Decision Making for Patients with Limited English Proficiency. J Immigrant Minority Health 22, 860–872 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-019-00947-w

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