2025 Scholars' Research Symposium Abstract: Improving Interactions During Medical Interpretation: An Educational Module for Medical Students.

Abstract

Introduction: The population with limited English proficiency (LEP) has been growing in the United States, and South Dakota is no exception. As the state and nation diversify, healthcare systems must evolve to serve patients from various cultures and backgrounds. Language differences impact the ability to obtain high-quality healthcare for patients with LEP. As a result, future physicians should be trained to utilize interpretation services successfully and appropriately, beginning in medical school. This project offered an educational module to first-year medical students at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine (SSOM), preparing them to serve patients who do not speak English as their first language.

Methods: An educational module was developed through a literature review process and discussions with professionals in medical interpretation, patient care, and diversity and inclusion. The module, which included didactics, live roleplay, and an open discussion, was presented to the class of 2027 at the SSOM in April 2024. The students were asked to take a pre-module and a post-module survey, which evaluated how prepared they felt to work with language services in the clinical setting. A paired t-test examined the differences in the students' perception of their educational environment, attitudes, preparedness, and knowledge regarding working with patients with LEP before and after the presentation of the module.

Results: 68 medical students participated in the session. Results were analyzed using paired t-tests. The results suggest that students a) felt the module better prepared them to work with patients with LEP, t(60) = -10.195, p less than 0.001, b) improved on the knowledge-based portion of the survey, t(62) = -7.132, p less than 0.001, and c) showed improvement in attitudes toward caring for patients with LEP t(61) = -4.413, p less than 0.001 after completing the module. In addition, the results suggested that completion of the module improved the students' perception of the educational environment at SSOM, t(60) = -12.31, p less than 0.001. The results were partially incomplete because some participants did not answer all survey questions.

Conclusions: This educational module aimed to train medical students to effectively use interpretation services and better the healthcare patients with LEP will receive in the future. The results indicated that implementing the module improved students' attitudes, knowledge, preparedness, and perception of the educational environment at the SSOM when working with patients with LEP. The current results will be used to enhance the following sessions with the goal of expanding to include a hands-on session in the future.