Teaching and assessing family medicine clerks' use of medical interpreters.

BACKGROUND

Academic health centers must develop strategies to prepare health care providers to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population.

METHODS

We designed a curriculum module, including didactic presentation and a standardized patient experience, to teach and evaluate the knowledge and skills necessary for third-year family medicine clerks to effectively communicate with non-English-speaking patients when using interpreters in clinical settings.

RESULTS

Analyses indicated improvement both in students' knowledge and skills following participation in the curriculum module.

CONCLUSIONS

The instructional intervention was successful in improving students' effective use of interpreters in a simulated clinical setting.