The effectiveness of training student physicians in culturally sensitive patient care using an interprofessional culturally competent curriculum.

Abstract

Context: As patient populations become increasingly diverse, the need for training and education in providing culturally competent care among student physicians, and Master's in Interdisciplinary Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences (MS) students, becomes critical. This training is vital for the safety and well-being of patients, as well as for achieving better patient health outcomes.

Objectives: This study aims to measure and compare the efficacy in improving cultural competency skills among these students after completing cultural competency courses in their respective medical programs: an interprofessional (IPE) cultural competency course for first-year Doctor in Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students and a cultural competency course for MS. Both of the classes took place online.

Methods: A Qualtrics survey consisting of a modified version of the Cultural Awareness Scale (CAS) was electronically distributed to students before and after completing the Introduction to Cultural Competency course for first-year DOs and a cultural competence course for Master's students at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM). A total of 141 results were analyzed and compared differences in the means of Total CAS score values utilizing paired and independent t-tests. This study was approved by the TouroNY institutional review board (#18532).

Results: On average, the Master's mean Total CAS scores were 6.6 points higher on the postclass survey compared to the preclass survey (t ₄₀=2.3, p<0.05); however, there was no significant difference between the preclass and postclass mean Total CAS scores of the DO students. Additionally, in the postclass survey, the current Master's students' mean Total CAS scores were on average 14.3 points higher than the DO students (t _39.9=5.096, p<0.001). This difference was also reflected in analyses conducted on former Master's students. This finding is compounded by the fact that we found no significant difference between these groups' mean CAS scores in the preclass surveys (p=0.170).

Conclusions: Based on the previously mentioned findings, we can deduce that Master's students showed an improvement in cultural competency skills after attending a cultural competency course for MS, although the first-year DO student physicians did not show any significant change in cultural competency skills after taking an IPE cultural competency curriculum. Based upon the results from both the DO and MS students, the establishment and inclusion of a cultural competency class with a developed curriculum is crucial for reducing bias and addressing medical-based discrimination.