Decomposing the gap in satisfaction with provider communication between English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients

Abstract

Disparities in patient-provider communication exist among racial/ethnic groups. Hispanics report the lowest satisfaction with provider communication compared to whites and blacks; these differences may be due to level of acculturation or patient-provider concordance according to their ability to speak English. Using data from the 2007-2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, this study identifies and quantifies the components that constitute the gap in satisfaction with provider communication between English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanics. English-speaking Hispanics are 7.3 percentage points more likely to be satisfied with the amount of time their providers spent with them compared to Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Differences in acculturation between the two groups account for 77% of this gap. Satisfaction with provider listening is 6.8 percentage points higher for English-speaking Hispanics. Hispanics who speak English are more satisfied with provider communication. The gap in satisfaction is largely attributable to differences in health insurance, acculturation, and education.