Communicating With Patients Who Prefer a Language Other than English: A Curriculum on Interpreter Use for Medical...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Communication
• Linguistic Access in Healthcare

Background:

• Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) face significant healthcare barriers.
• Medical interpreter (MI) services are often underutilized or misused.
• Medical schools frequently lack formal training on effective MI utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an educational curriculum for medical students on the effective use of medical interpreters (MIs).
• To enhance communication skills between medical students and patients with limited English proficiency (LEP).

Main Methods:

• A hybrid curriculum combining a 26-minute online module and a 60-minute in-person workshop with simulated patient encounters.
• Pre- and post-course surveys assessed self-reported knowledge and comfort with MI use.
• 131 second- and third-year medical students participated over one year.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in students' self-reported knowledge, confidence, and frequency of appropriate MI use.
• 90% of surveyed students reported high satisfaction with the curriculum.
• Post-course surveys showed statistically significant positive changes in all measured items.

Conclusions:

• The developed curriculum successfully addressed a critical gap in medical training regarding MI best practices.
• A blended learning approach (online + in-person) proved time- and resource-efficient for medical students.
• This training enhances the ability of future physicians to provide equitable care to LEP patients.