- College of Medicine Population Health Student Affairs Students
Data shows that communications problems are the most frequent root cause of serious patient safety events.
As part of the UCF College of Medicine’s commitment to improve healthcare for all, the college is launching a first-of-its-kind program to prepare medical students to better communicate health information with patients whose primary language is Spanish.
22% of Floridians speak Spanish as their primary language at home, according to the latest U.S. Census data and that rate makes Florida one of the top three of all U.S. states. Helping physicians communicate medical terms and health information in Spanish will help improve the quality of care for these Floridians
Patients whose primary language is not English face higher levels of such dangers. They have longer hospital stays, higher hospital readmission rates and higher risks of complications such as falls and surgical infections. They also have lower rates of prescription compliance and experience more difficulties managing care for chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Dr. Analia Castiglioni is the College of Medicine faculty member who is leading the initiative. Dr. Castiglioni serves as assistant dean for clinical skills and simulation at the medical school and is medical director of UCF’s Clinical Skills and Simulation Center. She also provides internal medicine care to patients at the Orlando VA Medical Center.
The program is designed to help students to ask more effective, patient-centered questions to Spanish-speaking patients. It is also designed to help students successfully work with interpreters in the clinics and hospitals where they train. It will be open to all medical students, whatever their Spanish language proficiency.
The program will begin this summer with an eight-week course, followed by electives offered in the fourth year of medical school. The program also will offer students the opportunity to gain a nationally recognized Spanish language-concordant care certification through the Physician Oral Language Observation Matrix exam. Dr. Castiglioni said UCF medical students who complete this program will gain essential patient care skills to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients, not only during medical school, but throughout residency and their careers. Hispanics, according to the U.S. Census, make up 18% of the U.S. population,
“By equipping our students with the language skills needed to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients, we are reducing communication barriers that can compromise care,” she said. “Ultimately, this program will improve patient safety, strengthen physician-patient relationships and ensure our graduates are ready to provide safe, language-concordant care in any clinical setting.”
Dr. Jeff LaRochelle is the medical school’s associate dean for academics and leads the medical education program. “Our primary missions at the UCF College of Medicine is to train the highest quality physicians to care for our patients in our community and around the world,” he said. “Given that Orlando is an international destination, giving our future physicians the tools to provide language concordant care will improve the quality of care they provide, improve patient safety and reduce the cost of that care delivered.”