Social determinants of health and patient safety: an analysis of patient safety event reports related to limited English-proficient patients.

To determine whether language barriers contribute to patient safety events, the authors analyzed near-miss and adverse event reports occurring in patients with a preferred language other than English. Of 1,553 included reports, 13% were likely or plausibly related to a patient’s language barrier. The most common strategy for preventing future events cited in these reports involved use of interpreter services.