Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of JAMA Network Open, 8(2), e2460551. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.60551 Dr. Michael Reaume et al.
Points
- The study investigated how patient-physician language concordance affects cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive patients, particularly from minority language communities, using data from 124,583 Canadian adults.
- Allophone-speaking patients receiving language-concordant care had a 36% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) than those with language-discordant care (HR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.51–0.80).
- French-speaking patients showed no significant difference in MACE risk between language-concordant and discordant care (HR 1.09; 95% CI, 0.86–1.36).
- The cohort’s mean age was 63.7 years, and 57.1% identified as female, reflecting a diverse population across language groups.
- The study underscores the importance of language-concordant care in reducing cardiovascular risks, highlighting the need for healthcare systems to address language barriers, particularly for minority language communities.
Summary
This cohort study aimed to examine the association between patient-physician language concordance and cardiovascular outcomes among individuals with hypertension, particularly those from minority language communities. The study included 124,583 adults with self-reported hypertension from the Canadian Community Health Survey, with data linked to hospitalization and mortality records. The participants were categorized by their primary home language: English, French, Indigenous languages, or allophone languages (non-majority languages). Patient-physician language concordance was defined as receiving care from a physician who spoke the patient’s primary home language. The study’s primary outcome was the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) within 5 years.
The study found that among the 5229 allophone-speaking patients, those receiving language-concordant care had a 36% lower risk of MACEs than those receiving language-discordant care. The hazard ratio for these patients was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.51–0.80). In contrast, French-speaking patients did not significantly differ in MACE risk between language-concordant and language-discordant care (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.86–1.36). The cohort had a mean age of 63.7 years, with 57.1% reporting their sex as female. The findings indicate that language concordance in care is particularly beneficial for allophone-speaking patients, contributing to a lower risk of cardiovascular events.
These results suggest that language concordance between patients and physicians could potentially reduce cardiovascular risks in minority language communities, offering a valuable area for improving healthcare access and quality. The study highlights disparities in access to language-concordant care and the impact on health outcomes, emphasizing the need for healthcare systems to address these gaps in care delivery to improve overall health in linguistically diverse populations.
Link to the article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2830385
References Reaume, M., Labossière, M. N., Batista, R., Van Haute, S., Tangri, N., Rigatto, C., Bohm, C., Prud’homme, D., Tanuseputro, P., & Lix, L. M. (2025). Patient-physician language concordance and cardiovascular outcomes among patients with hypertension. JAMA Network Open, 8(2), e2460551. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.60551
