No comprendo: Practice considerations when caring for Latinos with limited english proficiency in the United States health care system

The purpose of this article is to explore and describe the experiences of Spanish-speaking, Spanishdominant, and limited English proficiency (LEP) Latinos when accessing the U.S. health care system, which is dominated by health care providers who are not Spanish speaking. Practice issues related to health care access and health care disparities among Latinos are reviewed. The aim was to critically examine how language barriers and health care disparities among the Latino LEP population may be rectified to improve clinical outcomes for Latinos. A literature review was conducted using databases such as PubMed and CINAHL, and a broader search with Internet search engines was used to find key policy and practice documents from policy think tanks and other health organizations addressing these issues.