Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Provider Perspectives To Understand How To Best Inform Patients In South Dakota, Isabelle M. Lehman

Honors Thesis

Patients in rural areas are more likely to experience worse health outcomes than patients in urban or suburban areas. The reasons for this discrepancy are multi-faceted, including inequities in resources and access, as well as differences in the environment. Rural providers understand what education and resources patients are missing as they often interact with patients in multiple contexts. We interviewed rural providers and performed an inductive thematic content analysis of the interviews to shed some insight into what information rural patients would need to be better healthcare advocates for themselves. Three themes emerged from the interview data: health education, access, …

Impactful Interactions With Medical Interpretation, Alyssa L. Reinschmidt

Honors Thesis

The purpose of this paper is to examine the quality of healthcare that one can receive when the language barrier is a factor, looking specifically at the collaboration of interpreters and physicians in the delivery of care. To carry out this study, I have analyzed the presence of the language barrier in South Dakota, the current methods of interpretation in clinical settings, and how physicians and interpreters work together to provide care to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients. Data has been collected from scholarly articles, journals, presentations, and videos.

Ultimately, with my committee’s help, I have created a physician-interpreter training …

Barriers To Relational Continuity Of Care For Undergraduate College Students In Southeastern South Dakota, Laura E. Nelson

Honors Thesis

In health care, the patient’s relationship with his or her provider serves as a foundation upon which health care decisions are guided and health outcomes are addressed. Relational continuity of care refers to the presence of a sustained (long-term) relationship between a primary care provider (PCP) and a patient. Such continuity of care has been linked with improved health outcomes, reduced mortality, lower health care costs, increased patient satisfaction, and increased delivery of preventative services. Relational continuity of care tends to be low amongst young adults, especially college students. The reasons for this – and the salient barriers to relational …