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"Windshield Tour" - A Journey Towards Cultural Competency
D Kay Taylor1, Laura Carravallah1, Melissa Hamp1
1a Hurley Medical Center, Flint, MI and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine , East Lansing , MI.
Purpose:
Medical educators are directing greater attention to the promotion of cultural competency when prioritizing educational program goals. An innovative educational approach is described here in a community hospital where nearly one-third of its citizens fall below the poverty level. The intent was to provide a very personal, first-hand learning experience via witnessing living conditions of patients from poverty-stricken neighborhoods.
Method:
Hospital educators worked with the community organization FACED (Faith Access to Community Economic Development). This grassroots group developed an educational driving excursion - entitled the "Windshield Tour" - of the city hospital's poorest areas. A knowledge/attitude questionnaire was administered as a pre- and post-test to 80 residents and medical students.
Results:
Significant changes were observed in participants' understanding of personal/financial hardships faced by their patients, perceptions of availability of resources, understanding of issues related to health care benefits, and rankings of patient/physician characteristics deemed important.
Conclusion:
Hospital educators have met with FACED leaders to explore future collaborative projects that would increase exposure to the community for the residents and students.
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The Role of Culture
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Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Barriers to Effective Communication I
Communication barriers include the following:
Physiological barriers: They are limitations caused by a person's health condition or disability, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, illness, or unconsciousness. An example to overcome this...

