Patients with non-English language preference (NELP) experience disparities in care quality and outcomes, often due to underuse of professional interpreter services. One proposed strategy to address this gap is incorporating patients’ language preference into prominent sections of clinical documentation, such as the one-liner (OL) of clinical notes. Whether this approach is associated with increased subsequent use and documentation of professional interpreter services has not been empirically evaluated. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2,336 general medicine admissions for 1,487 adult patients with self-reported NELP at a large academic medical center between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. We used natural language processing and large language model tools to identify the presence language preference in the OL of admitting H 95% CI 1.40–2.08). Effect modification by language was observed for documentation outcomes, with higher odds observed among non-Spanish-speaking patients (AOR, 2.96; 95% CI, 2.18–4.01). Inclusion of a patient’s language preference in the OL of an admitting note was associated with higher interpreter encounter rates and improved documentation during hospitalization. Incorporating language preference into core clinical documentation, alongside existing EHR flags, may represent a scalable, low-burden approach associated with increased interpreter engagement. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether this practice improves patient-centered outcomes and can be implemented consistently across care settings.
Linares et al. (Tue,) studied this question.