Perioperative Communication Association with Discharge Opioid Prescription in Patients with Limited English

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about patient experience of surgical care in the presence of language barriers. Therefore, we sought to compare perception of perioperative communication and pain control in patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) who did vs did not receive an opioid at discharge. METHODS: We used structured interviews including patients undergoing appendectomy, cholecystectomy, or colectomy at a quaternary care center from 2019 to 2020. Patients were contacted by telephone using certified medical interpreters in 2021. Questions assessed perception of perioperative communication and included the Brief Health Literacy Screener. Opioid prescription status was confirmed via chart review. Odds ratios were calculated by logistic regression. RESULTS: We identified 117 LEP patients for interview. We reached 57 (52% response rate), with a mean age of 65.8 years and 61.4% female. Patients self-identified as 61.4% Asian, 26.3% Latinx, and 10.5% White. Preferred languages were 42.1% Cantonese, 24.6% Spanish, and 10 others. Overall, 24 (42.1%) patients were discharged with opioids. These patients were more likely to report successful communication with their surgical team than those without (100% vs 81.8%). The groups had similarly low levels of health literacy and confusion over medication disposal. Patients discharged with an opioid recalled using a median of 10% of their prescription; none reported persistent use (Table).TableCONCLUSION: Patients with LEP describe positive perceptions of surgical communication. Those who received an opioid were more likely to feel that their own communication with the surgical team had been successful.