Abstract
This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Background:Chinese Americans are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. However, 41% of Chinese Americans are not English proficient. Methods:In 2014, Medicine in Mandarin was established by the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) as a pre-clinical elective taught by a nationally certified healthcare Mandarin interpreter. A 32-hour curriculum was developed, including both didactics and interactive elements. Assessments included quizzes, standardized patient interviews, and a final exam. An evaluation was administered upon course completion, and a post-course survey was administered to graduates at least six months after course completion. Results:Between 2014 and 2017, the elective graduated 25 students, of whom 23 completed the course evaluation and 22 completed the post-course survey. Prior to the course, 9% of students felt comfortable practicing medicine in Mandarin. This increased to 78% of students post-course. When asked about subsequent clinical experiences, 82% of students reported having applied medical Mandarin skills. Overall, 96% rated the course as very good or excellent. Conclusion:A Medicine in Mandarin elective was well-received by students and improved their comfort in providing medical care in Mandarin. Additional study is warranted to examine the potential clinical impact of this course.
Highlights
People of Chinese descent comprise a substantial and rapidly growing proportion of the US population and represent the largest Asian American ethnic group (Hoeffel et al, no date)
41% of all Chinese Americans are not English proficient, indicating that many Chinese-American patients rely on language assistance in health care settings (Mitchell, 2017)
Interested students completed a two-part application consisting of a) an oral recording of the student speaking Mandarin to assess fluency, and b) an essay regarding why they were interested in the course and how they hoped to apply the skills learned
Summary
People of Chinese descent comprise a substantial and rapidly growing proportion of the US population and represent the largest Asian American ethnic group (Hoeffel et al, no date). Limited English proficiency (LEP) patients encounter challenges in the healthcare system, from strained communication with healthcare providers to a lack of utilization of the healthcare process (Gulati et al, 2012). The Joint Commission states that "hospitals must develop a system to provide language services to address the communication needs of patients whose preferred language is not English" (The Joint Commission: Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and FamilyCentered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals, 2010). The use of professional services is often costly, limited, administratively difficult, and lacking in standardization (Hornberger, Itakura and Wilson, 1997; Regenstein et al, 2008). Even in well-resourced environments, professional interpreter services are a limited resource, and utilization is not highly correlated with demand (Hornberger, Itakura and Wilson, 1997).
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