Systematic Review of Pain Research Among Limited English Proficiency Patient Populations in Health care

Abstract

Background: Pain remains a global health problem affecting all populations. There is limited knowledge, however, about the effect of limited English proficiency (LEP) on pain care and outcomes.

Aim: This systematic review determines the current state of pain research for LEP populations.

Method: We searched peer-reviewed studies in PubMed, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and Google Scholar from 1970 to 2021. Two authors independently screened abstracts and full texts, evaluated the quality of the studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, and extracted study characteristics, content, and findings into Microsoft Excel.

Results: Twenty-five studies met our inclusion criteria. Of the 25 articles, 15 were quantitative, three were mixed methods, five were qualitative, one was quasi-experimental, and one was a randomized controlled trial. Four studies addressed all items of the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Most pain research among patients with LEP was conducted in the United States (n = 17) and in hospital settings (n = 16). The majority of studies focused on one language (n = 15) with Spanish (n = 8) being the most studied language. Sample sizes ranged from seven to 18,593. Studies focused on three main themes: pain communication (n = 14), pain management (n =5) and/or outcomes (n = 1), and pain prevalence (n = 3).

Conclusions: The findings revealed that the pain research on LEP populations is still in its infancy, with varied areas of focus using descriptive research designs. More pain intervention research for LEP populations is needed to reduce pain disparities.