Pharma Misses the Mark with Hispanics

The Hispanic/Latino population in the U. S. is one of the quickest growing and Spanish is the second most-common language in the U.S after English. According to the 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 35.5 million people aged 5 or older. There are 45 million Hispanics who speak Spanish as a first or second language and there are 6 million Spanish students making it the world's second-largest Spanish-speaking community. The implications are that all major aspects of life are conducted in Spanish. The impact of language is significant in the health care arena where communication is the key to successful outcomes.

A recent national survey of physicians conducted by KCI Partners and the Jeffrey Group revealed that U.S. pharmaceutical companies communicate poorly with Hispanic/Latino audiences. The ratings showed the lowest possible scores with 33% of the physicians stating that only 7% communicate “very well” with Latino/Hispanic patients. On a scale of one to seven – with seven being the highest positive rating – 24% of doctors gave pharma a three for communication ability, and another 24% gave pharma a four. There are clearly some issues that could include lack of cultural knowledge combined with language barriers. By this scale, pharma appears to miss the mark.

The sheer numbers of Hispanic/Latino growth is indicative of health care needs increasing along with rising trends in diabetes and some cancers. Although the health care crisis continues to expand for this group due to lack of access and limited insurance, it remains questionable whether health care reform will impact this population. In the meantime, there are specific actions that can be employed to reduce disparity. First, pharma could invest in how to communicate better with Hispanic/Latino patients as this market will continue to grow. There are ways to communicate better. Culturally relevance and language are crucial. Second, communication between pharma and the Hispanic/Latino patient could make a difference in millions of lives. Pharma can still make the grade.