Improving Ethnocultural Empathy in Healthcare Students through a Targeted Intervention.

Students in training to become future healthcare providers must be trained not only how to provide quality care but also how to effectively communicate with patients, regardless of the patient's cultural background. Poor communication between provider and patient when racial or ethnic backgrounds differ between patient and provider is a relevant factor in suboptimal healthcare services to ethnic minorities. This pilot study was conducted to examine changes in the scores on the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE)for first year nursing (n = 40) and dental students (n = 42)following an intervention. Participants completed an anonymous online survey that included the SEE, a validated measure of empathy toward people with racial and ethnic backgrounds different from one's own prior to the intervention (baseline), immediately following the intervention workshop (post-test) and one month following the workshop (follow-up). Results showed statistically significant increases from baseline to post-intervention on the SEE (p < .05), and these gains were maintained at follow-up. This study is the first to examine whether an intervention specifically designed to improve students' understanding of racial groups discordant from their own actually improves empathy and communication. Results from this pilot study support that controlled trials are warranted.

Assessment of cardiovascular disease risk factors in the coastal region of South Carolina.

OBJECTIVE: To assess risk factors for cardiovascular disease, barriers to health care, and desired health care education topics for Hispanics in the coastal region of South Carolina known as the Lowcountry. METHODS: 174 Hispanic adults were surveyed at visits at the Mexican consulate using a novel interview instrument. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was compared to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an annual telephone survey, to evaluate the validity of the survey instrument. RESULTS: Results are comparable to the BRFSS telephone study of the Hispanics in the same area. However, participants in our study were older (Age > 35 = 41.4% vs. 34.9%) and reported fewer years of formal education (higher level education = 12.9% vs. 44.2%). Cost of care (72.8%) and language barriers (46.8%) were the main difficulties reported in obtaining health care access. The main educational topics of interest were diabetes (61.5%), hypertension (43.7%), stress (42.5%), and cardiac disease (40.2%). CONCLUSION: Our study supports the evidence that there is a demand and need for cardiovascular disease and diabetes education among Hispanics. Our study also shows that a large proportion of Hispanics experience barriers to health care. and that large telephone studies may underrepresent higher risk Hispanic populations.

Introducing students to patient safety through an online interprofessional course.

Interprofessional education (IPE) is increasingly called upon to improve health care systems and patient safety. Our institution is engaged in a campus-wide IPE initiative. As a component of this initiative, a required online interprofessional patient-safety-focused course for a large group (300) of first-year medical, dental, and nursing students was developed and implemented. We describe our efforts with developing the course, including the use of constructivist and adult learning theories and IPE competencies to structure students' learning in a meaningful fashion. The course was conducted online to address obstacles of academic calendars and provide flexibility for faculty participation. Students worked in small groups online with a faculty facilitator. Thematic modules were created with associated objectives, online learning materials, and assignments. Students posted completed assignments online and responded to group members' assignments for purposes of group discussion. Students worked in interprofessional groups on a project requiring them to complete a root cause analysis and develop recommendations based on a fictional sentinel event case. Through project work, students applied concepts learned in the course related to improving patient safety and demonstrated interprofessional collaboration skills. Projects were presented during a final in-class session. Student course evaluation results suggest that learning objectives and content goals were achieved. Faculty course evaluation results indicate that the course was perceived to be a worthwhile learning experience for students. We offer the following recommendations to others interested in developing an in-depth interprofessional learning experience for a large group of learners: 1) consider a hybrid format (inclusion of some face-to-face sessions), 2) address IPE and broader curricular needs, 3) create interactive opportunities for shared learning and working together, 4) provide support to faculty facilitators, and 5) recognize your learners' educational level. The course has expanded to include students from additional programs for the current academic year.

Development and assessment of a cultural competency curriculum.

The recent intense attention given to the existence of racial and ethnic health care disparities in the United States has resulted in an enhanced focus on the problem and a call to integrate cultural competence training into health professions curricula. While most dental schools have formally integrated cultural competence into their curricula, the professional literature contains little information regarding the specific types of curriculum modifications necessary to prepare culturally competent dentists. The purpose of this article is to communicate the process and materials used to develop and present didactic curriculum content incorporating cultural competence and to report early data regarding its effectiveness in improving students' knowledge and self-awareness regarding cultural competence. The preliminary observation of differences between pre-test and post-test scores suggests that the curriculum content may have contributed to developing students' cultural knowledge and self-awareness. Students' reflection papers also provided qualitative evidence that experience with the curriculum modules was transformational for some. Recommendations for future curriculum modifications and follow-up research studies to validate the instrument are discussed.