The California State Assembly today amended and expanded proposed legislation focused on improving health literacy. The move comes on the heels of new data establishing that California’s changing demographics are heightening language disparities between patients and health care workers as the populace grows more diverse.
The current law, called the Medical Practice Act, established that the Medical Board of California has requirements to adopt and administer standards for the continuing education of physicians. The scope of the Board’s mandate is broad, including not only educational activities centered on deepening the knowledge and skills of healthcare workers, but also on improving the relationship between physicians and patients.
The patient-physician relationship has long been understood to require a foundation of trust and a means to engage in effective communications. However, as California’s population is becoming more diverse, language barriers are impeding not only doctor-patient communications, but also the trust needed to maximize the outcomes of that dialogue.
Given these dynamics, the California State Assembly moved to seek modifications to the Medical Practice Act by, among other measures, specifying that key stakeholders be informed of federal and state threshold language requirements that evolve over time so as to ensure that California can similarly consider how best to increase health literacy and the physician-patient relationship through language.
With health literacy remaining in the spotlight as a means to enhance overall health equity, particularly for historically underrepresented and marginalized populations, health equity advocates are watching this legislative development closely as a potential model for other U.S. states as well.
The legislation can be accessed here.
