#439 - 🔵 [PAS 2026] - Are Language Barriers in the NICU Actually Costing Babies Their Lives?

Send us Fan MailDr. John Feister, neonatologist and health equity researcher at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, presents two studies that challenge us to look beyond the bedside. The first reveals that NICU babies whose families prefer a language other than English have nearly double the in-hospital mortality rate of English-speaking families — a difference that persisted even after adjusting for medical and sociodemographic risk factors, and one he suspects is driven in part by barriers to family advocacy and end-of-life communication. The second introduces the concept of medical-financial partnerships, and specifically a hospital-based free tax preparation clinic that helped NICU and hospital families claim thousands of dollars in refundable tax credits — with 90% of participants reporting that the service improved their trust in their medical team.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!