A web-based cultural competency training for medical students: a randomized trial

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cultural Competency Training

Background:

• Assessing medical students' cultural competency attitudes is crucial.
• Traditional lecture formats are commonly used for cultural competency education.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare web-based versus traditional lecture-based cultural competency training.
• Evaluate the impact on medical students' attitudes.
• Examine the reliability of a standardized assessment instrument.

Main Methods:

• 180 first-year medical students were randomized into web-based (intervention) or lecture-based (control) groups.
• The Health Belief Attitudes Survey measured cultural competency attitudes (scale 1-6).
• Factor analysis assessed the internal consistency of the survey instrument.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in overall attitude scores between web-based and lecture-based groups (median 5.2 vs. 5.3).
• The assessment instrument demonstrated good to acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.83 and 0.69).

Conclusions:

• Both web-based and traditional methods effectively foster positive cultural competency attitudes in medical students.
• Web-based cultural competency training shows promise and warrants further investigation.