Hospitals Meet to Share Information, Concerns for Communication with Diverse Patients

Cincinnati, OH, October 11, 2007 --(PR.com)-- A group of more than forty regional hospital administrators met October 3, 2007, to learn more about what they can do to develop better communication with diverse populations as well as share struggles and best practices. By hosting this meeting, Accel Advisors hoped to stimulate discussion and help regional organizations to begin to develop standards for addressing cultural and linguistic challenges at these hospitals.

The qualitative study conducted and presented by Amy Wilson-Stronks of the Joint Commission recently examined cultural and linguistic services for diverse populations at 60 hospitals across the country. The report analyzed the challenges that hospitals face when providing services for diverse populations and what hospitals are doing to address these challenges.

Findings from the study revealed that, of the sample hospitals, most (75 percent) were collecting data on patient race, primary language and religion. Most struggled to identify patients with unique cultural and linguistic needs. According to the report, the same sample of hospitals showed that 75 percent do not offer ongoing training to physicians in providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care.

"Each year our community becomes more diverse and the communication challenges at our hospitals become more and more complex,” Ric Powell, Managing Partner at Accel Advisors said. "We believe that by sharing these findings and providing a forum for hospitals in our region to discuss these issues, we can assist these organizations in developing standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate care which will help to save lives."

A future report based on the research data will include promising practices that can be replicated at other hospitals. For more information about the report, visit www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/HLC/.

Accel Advisors , based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a professional services firm specializing in segment marketing and best practice sourcing, helping companies profit from a changing diverse marketplace. Through strategic sourcing, the team at Accel helps corporations cut costs, improve efficiencies and enhance shareholder value. Using proprietary ROI-driven methodologies, analytics and tools, Accel Advisors helps organizations in the financial services, healthcare and utilities industries increase productivity, reduce cost and drive revenue. For more information, call 513-562-1262 or visit www.acceladvisors.com.

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Editor’s Note: Ric Powell and Amy Wilson-Stronks are available for interviews