Plain language communication as a priority competency for medical professionals in a globalized world

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Communication
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Globalization increases patient and provider diversity, complicating patient-provider communication.
• Limited health literacy poses significant challenges in diverse healthcare settings.
• Current medical training often lacks explicit instruction in plain language communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of globalization on patient-provider communication.
• To advocate for plain language communication training as a core medical competency.
• To address communication barriers in an increasingly diverse and globalized healthcare system.

Main Methods:

• Literature synthesis on globalization, patient-provider communication, and medical education.
• Analysis of challenges presented by diverse patient populations and health literacy levels.
• Review of existing medical curricula regarding communication training.

Main Results:

• Globalization significantly affects patient-provider interactions and communication effectiveness.
• Plain language communication strategies can effectively mitigate communication challenges.
• There is a notable gap in formal plain language communication training within medical education.

Conclusions:

• Plain language communication is crucial for effective healthcare delivery in a globalized world.
• Integrating plain language communication training into medical curricula is necessary.
• Enhanced communication skills will enable providers to better serve diverse patient populations.