An anthropological approach to teach and evaluate cultural competence in medical students – the application of mini-ethnography in medical history taking

Abstract

PurposeTo use mini-ethnographies narrating patient illness to improve the cultural competence of the medical students.MethodsBetween September 2013 and June 2015, all sixth-year medical students doing their internship at a medical center in eastern Taiwan were trained to write mini-ethnographies for one of the patients in their care. The mini-ethnographies were analyzed by authors with focus on the various aspects of cultural sensitivity and a holistic care approach.ResultsNinety-one students handed in mini-ethnographies, of whom 56 were male (61.5%) and 35 were female (38.5%). From the mini-ethnographies, three core aspects were derived: 1) the explanatory models and perceptions of illness, 2) culture and health care, and 3) society, resources, and health care. Based on the qualities of each aspect, nine secondary nodes were classified: expectations and attitude about illness/treatment, perceptions about their own prognosis in particular, knowledge and feelings regarding illness, cause of illness, choice of treatment method (including traditional medical treatments), prejudice and discrimination, influences of traditional culture and language, social support and resources, and inequality in health care.ConclusionsMini-ethnography is an effective teaching method that can help students to develop cultural competence. It also serves as an effective instrument to assess the cultural competence of medical students.

Cultural Competence and Global Health: Perspectives for Medical Education – Position paper of the GMA Committee on Cultural Competence and Global Health

“…This increased importance is reflected in the growing numbers of related courses or discussions about course content, structure, teaching methods and faculty qualification [ 30 ], [ 31 ], [ 32 ], [ 33 ], [ 34 ], [ 35 ]. There are also publications about courses and programs on other continents [ 36 ], [ 37 ]. This likewise applies to the somewhat more recent topic of global health, which is also receiving growing attention in medical education, accompanied by related discussions regarding content, objectives, structure and teaching strategies [ 14 ], [ 38 ], [ 39 ], [ 40 ], [ 41 ], [ 42 ], [ 43 ], [ 44 ], [ 45 ], [ 46 ], [ 47 ].…”

Cultural Competence and Cultural Sensitivity Education in University Nursing Courses. A Scoping Review

“…In this sense, studies have been reviewed that focus teaching effort on increasing the understanding of students, future health professionals, toward the cultural framework of the patient. Although, indeed, the translation that this fact has in clinical practice is not specified ( Hsieh et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Even in the development of clinical care, most patients continue to be cared for by health professionals and students in training, who emphasize biological or biopsychological aspects, making minimal effort to expand toward an integral dimension that considers cultural awareness counts ( Renzaho et al, 2013 ; Hsieh et al, 2016 ).…”

Case Report: I feel like a mother to other babies: experiences and perspectives on bereavement and breastmilk donation from Vietnam

“…Our study is informed using a form of mini ethnographic data collection which has been linked by Fusch et al (27) and has been used for teaching particularly in South Asia (28) and linking these educational aspects to case study designs (26,29). Ethnography has its roots in both anthropological and sociological theories, and some have argued it "has long been synonymous with case studies, typically conceived of as grounded in the local and situated in specific, well-defined, and self-contained social contexts" (29,30).…”