Enhancing patient-centered care for limited English proficiency patients through Tell Me More®: A student-driven initiative to explore the patient as a person and develop students’ communication skills

Abstract

Tell Me More® (TMM) is a medical student-driven initiative to build rapport between patients, students, and the healthcare team through patient interviews and collaboratively created posters. Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) often experience impaired communication with providers. TMM has the potential to address the loss of patient-centered dialogue in interpreter-mediated communications. In this exploratory pilot study, we aimed to include LEP patients in TMM by using medical interpreter phones (MIPs) at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Northwell Health. Our objectives were to: (1) evaluate the feasibility of this approach, (2) compare TMM engagement between LEP and English-speaking (ES) patients, and (3) document the impact of this initiative on the medical student. Following the standardized TMM interview structure, the student used the MIP to interview LEP patients about who they are as people beyond their illnesses. This expanded social history was transcribed to bedside posters to enhance patient connection with the healthcare team. At the end of interviews, patients rated TMM’s impact on their hospital stay. Additionally, medical student reflections were recorded weekly. Our quantitative results from 12 LEP and 49 ES patients support significantly higher TMM participation for LEP compared to ES patients. Qualitative examination of student reflections suggests that TMM enriches medical education by promoting understanding of the LEP patient experience. Our results demonstrate that MIP-supported TMM is a feasible approach to enhance patient-centered care for LEP populations. Further research is needed to explore inclusion of LEP patients in patient-centered care initiatives such as TMM.