Navigating Communication in Racially Concordant Care: Considerations for Medical Education

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Disparities
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Patient-centered communication (PCC) is crucial for effective healthcare.
• Existing literature inadequately describes PCC practices among Black/African American (B/AA) medical professionals and students.
• Understanding B/AA providers' communication styles with B/AA patients is vital for addressing health equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how B/AA attending physicians, residents, and medical students enact PCC with B/AA patients.
• To identify unique communication strategies employed by B/AA healthcare providers in cross-cultural patient interactions.
• To inform medical education curricula on culturally sensitive communication.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 41 B/AA attending physicians, residents, and medical students.
• Snowball sampling utilized for participant recruitment through professional networks.
• Semistructured interviews analyzed using thematic analysis to identify communication patterns.

Main Results:

• B/AA providers utilized PCC when interacting with B/AA patients.
• Communication strategies were rooted in shared cultural backgrounds, treating patients akin to family.
• Providers reported that centering the patient facilitated communication aligned with shared norms and understandings.

Conclusions:

• B/AA healthcare professionals employ personal and familial communication approaches with B/AA patients.
• These methods challenge conventional provider-patient communication models that overlook cultural context.
• Findings highlight the importance of cultural congruence in patient-centered communication for improved health outcomes.