The Language of Equity in Digital Health: Prioritizing the Needs of Limited English Proficient Communities in the Patient Portal 2.0

The authors describe how the implementation of digital health portals, which have become the primary touchpoint for patients to access their health care information, have been insufficient when it comes to assisting Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients. The recommendations made here to be implemented in the next generation of patient portals were formulated on the basis of the 7Ps of Stakeholder Engagement (policymakers, payers, product makers, purchasers, providers, patients, and principal investigators). By using this basis, the recommendations made by the authors can focus on expanding language accessibility, establishing messaging workflows to integrate language services, extending federal guidelines for language equity, and ensuring digital access and literacy.

Citation for the Full-text Article

Rodriguez JA, Casillas A, Cook BL, Marlin RP. The language of equity in digital health: Prioritizing the needs of limited English proficient communities in the patient portal 2.0. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. May 2021 Supplement: 211-219. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2021.0059