Progression in understanding and implementing the cultural and linguistic appropriate services standards: five-year follow-up at an academic center.

In 2001, 14 national standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health care were issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health to guide outcomes specific to disparities affecting patients with limited English proficiency. Additionally, demographic changes are rapidly occurring throughout the United States leading to more culturally and racially diverse communities, which have increased language barriers in the health care environment. This nonrandomized, cross-sectional study assessed changes and attitudes and applications of CLAS in an academic health care setting over a 5-year period (2006 to 2011).

Awareness of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services at an academic health center.

The study's objectives were to (a) determine the level of familiarity of faculty and students at an academic health center with the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS), (b) identify faculty's and students' interest and preferred method of learning Medical Spanish, and (c) determine their aptitude for working with medical interpreters. A survey was developed, piloted, and sent via e-mail to all faculty members (n = 1,025) and students (n = 1,956) currently affiliated with or enrolled at the Medical College of Georgia. Reminder e-mails were sent after 2 weeks, and responses were accepted for 1 month.