“It’s in My language”: A Case Study on Multilingual mHealth Application for Immigrant Populations With Limited English Proficiency
Bo Young Kim, Qingyan Ma, Lisa C. Diamond
Abstract
Immigrant populations with limited English proficiency (LEP) confront more challenges than those with English proficiency in using healthcare technology in the U.S. Our case study, conducted in collaboration with the Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities (IHCD) Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), explores how LEP patients interact with patient portals translated in their preferred language. Through semi-structured interviews and usability testing, we found that individuals with LEP 1) encounter usability barriers during patient portal enrollment, 2) perceive increased self-efficacy and trust in using translated patient portals, and 3) greatly depend on caregivers for patient-provider communication and use of patient portals without translations. Based on these results, we offer recommendations for enhancing patient portal adoption among patients with LEP, share insights gained from applying User-Centered Design (UCD) methodologies with this user group, and discuss opportunities for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research to empower this user group and mitigate health disparities.