Barriers and Facilitators to Using 9-1-1 and Emergency Medical Services in a Limited English Proficiency Chinese Community

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 307 - 313
• Main Authors: Ong, Brandon N., Yip, Mei Po, Feng, Sherry, Calhoun, Rebecca, Meischke, Hendrika W., Tu, Shin-Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.04.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Access to Health Care; Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Asian Americans; China; Chinese communities; Chinese languages; Communication; Communication Barriers; Communication Strategies; Community Relations; Comparative Law; Cultural Pluralism; Demographics; Departments; Dialects; Emergencies; Emergency medical care; Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems - utilization; Emergency Medical Services - statistics & numerical data; Emergency Medical Services - utilization; Emergency services; English; Ethnic Groups; Facilitators; Female; Focus Groups; Health care; Health education; Health literacy; Health Services Accessibility - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Immigrants; Information Seeking; Internal Medicine; International & Foreign Law; Interpersonal communication; Interventions; Language; Limited English Speaking; Literacy; Male; Medical Services; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Groups; Non-English speaking people; Noncitizens; Original Paper; Past experiences; Perceptions; Population; Private International Law; Public Health; Qualitative Research; Sociology; Statistical analysis; China; United States > US; Underserved populations; EMS; Language proficiency; Immigrants; English proficiency
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-011-9449-6

Effective communication during a medical emergency is crucial for an appropriate emergency medical services (EMS) response. This exploratory qualitative study explored intentions to use 9-1-1 in a Chinese speaking community and the barriers and facilitators to accessing EMS. Focus groups with Chinese adults who self-reported limited English proficiency were conducted. An inductive iterative approach was used to categorize and connect themes identified in the discussions. Language difficulties, negative perceptions of EMS, perceived costs of using emergency services, and no previous experience with 9-1-1 were commonly described as barriers to calling EMS during emergencies. Positive past experiences with EMS and encountering an emergency situation perceived as too great to manage alone are common facilitators for calling 9-1-1. Further exploration is necessary to assess barriers to calling 9-1-1 unique to specific communities, test findings, and tailor interventions to improve EMS communication.