Bridging Language Barriers in Healthcare: An Innovative Curriculum for Teaching Medical Students to Work Effectively...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Equity
• Cross-cultural Communication

Background:

• Limited English proficiency (LEP) patients represent 10% of the US population.
• LEP patients face significant healthcare challenges and disparities.
• Physician training is crucial to address the needs of this growing demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an instructional session for medical students on effectively working with LEP patients.
• To enhance medical students' skills in communication and interpreter utilization.

Main Methods:

• A 90-minute session was conducted for first-year medical students.
• The session included didactic learning with video examples and an interactive exercise using a phone interpreter.
• Students practiced obtaining a patient's history of present illness (HPI) from a simulated patient speaking a different language.

Main Results:

• Student confidence in obtaining an HPI from LEP patients increased from 27% to 72%.
• Belief that using family members as interpreters is unacceptable rose from 50.5% to 68.5%.
• Improved understanding of best practices for interpreter use was observed.

Conclusions:

• The developed curriculum is practical and can be integrated into medical school programs.
• This training prepares future physicians to serve diverse patient populations effectively.
• Enhanced training improves physician readiness to work with professional interpreters and LEP patients.