Address correspondence to Latha P. Palaniappan, M.D., M.S., Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute (PAMFRI), 795 El Camino Real, Ames Building, Palo Alto, CA 94301; e-mail: lathap@pamf.org. Eric Wong, M.S., and Jessica Shin, B.A., are at Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute (PAMFRI), Palo Alto, CA. Maria R. Moreno, M.P.H., is with Sutter Health Institute for Research and Education (SHIRE), San Francisco, CA. Regina Otero-Sabogal, Ph.D., is with University of California, San Francisco, Institute for Health and Aging, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences School of Nursing, San Francisco, CA.
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Collecting Patient Race/Ethnicity and Primary Language Data in Ambulatory Care Settings: A Case Study in Methodology
Article first published online: 23 JUN 2009
DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2009.00992.x
© Health Research and Educational Trust
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How to Cite
Palaniappan, L. P., Wong, E. C., Shin, J. J., Moreno, M. R. and Otero-Sabogal, R. (2009), Collecting Patient Race/Ethnicity and Primary Language Data in Ambulatory Care Settings: A Case Study in Methodology. Health Services Research, 44: 1750–1761. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2009.00992.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 1 SEP 2009
- Article first published online: 23 JUN 2009
Keywords:
- Racial/ethnic differences in health and health care;
- health care organizations and systems;
- demography;
- survey research and questionnaire design;
- quality of care/patient safety (measurement)
Objective. To collect patient race/ethnicity and language (r/e/l) in an ambulatory care setting.
Data Sources/Study Setting. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), December 2006–May 2008.
Study Design. Three pilot studies: (1) Comparing mail versus telephone versus clinic visit questionnaire distribution; (2) comparing the front desk method (FDM) versus exam room method (ERM) in the clinic visit; and (3) determining resource allocation necessary for data entry.
Data Collection/Extraction Methods. Studies were planned and executed by PAMF's Quality and Planning division.
Principal Findings. Collecting r/e/l data during clinic visits elicited the highest response rate. The FDM yielded higher response rate than the ERM. One full-time equivalent is initially necessary for data entry.
Conclusions. Conducting sequential studies can help guide r/e/l collection in a short time frame.