Beyond Cultural Humility – South Asian Cultural Specificity Training Garners Reform in Medical Curricula: A Workshop for Medical Students of Free Community Clinics

Abstract

Background: Cultural humility is the notion of keeping an open mind towards learning about various cultural backgrounds of patients to improve health-care quality. Although medical curricula regarding cultural competency exist, a lack of integration creates disparities in culturally-appropriate healthcare. These disparities can be attributed to a lack of medical training to illuminate nuances among patient populations of interest. Educational material on cultural perspectives of the South Asian diaspora is especially limited. This article describes the implementation of a cultural humility workshop that addresses disparities preventing healthcare providers from delivering culturally appropriate care for members of the South Asian population. Methods: A new educational workshop on South Asian cultural humility was virtually presented to 40 medical student volunteers at a free clinic. The workshop was presented in a large-group format, followed by interactive case-based discussions with student facilitators. Cases reinforced participants’ understanding of cultural humility. Student volunteers assessed the workshop with qualitative and quantitative pre- and post-surveys. Results: Paired-sample t-tests across four of five domains of cultural humility reported statistically significant results. Content and thematic analysis showed participant interest in additional training and belief that the case studies solidified their understanding of the topics presented. Conclusions: These results highlight the utility of cultural humility training based on common clinical situations with patients of South Asian origin. It also displays a method to improve patient-provider relationships and to provide patient-centered care. Future endeavors include integrating this workshop into student clinic onboarding programs and optimizing its curriculum placement.