Clinical Workflow Associated with Spanish-Speaking Patient Encounters at JayDoc Community Clinic-Wichita: A Quality Improvement Project
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: JayDoc Community Clinic-Wichita is a student-run free clinic serving a predominantly Spanish-speaking patient population. Authors of this study evaluated whether interpreter staffing represents a potentially modifiable systems-level factor associated with clinic workflow. Methods: This retrospective observational quality improvement evaluation included 715 patient encounters nested within 128 clinic sessions at JayDoc from November 2023 to July 2025. Encounter-level workflow differences by Spanish-speaking status were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models accounting for clustering within clinic sessions and adjusting for clinic day. Clinic-session-level multivariable linear regression evaluated associations among Spanish-speaking patient volume, in-person interpreter staffing, and clinic workflow. Results: After accounting for clustering and clinic day, Spanish-speaking encounters were 5.3 minutes longer than non-Spanish-speaking encounters, although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.065). Spanish-speaking encounters had significantly longer medical preparation time (adjusted mean difference, 2.57 minutes; 95% CI, 0.83 to 4.31; p = 0.004) and wait-to-present time (adjusted mean difference, 3.46 minutes; 95% CI, 0.47 to 6.45; p = 0.024). At the clinic-session level, each additional Spanish-speaking patient was associated with a 6.7-minute increase in clinic-session duration after controlling for total patient volume and interpreter staffing (p <0.001). Each 1-unit increase in the Spanish-speaking patient-to-interpreter ratio was associated with a 3.72-minute increase in clinic-session duration (p = 0.052). Conclusions: Spanish-speaking encounters had longer medical preparation and wait-to-present times, while greater Spanish-speaking patient volume was associated with longer clinic-session duration. In-person interpreter staffing was not independently associated with session duration. These findings support further evaluation of strategies to better align interpreter resources with patient needs.
Source: Kansas Journal of Medicine
Institution: University of Kansas
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7222690285