| 提要註: |
Language concordance may offer advantages as an adjunct or alternative to traditional interpretation services in the clinical setting. We undertook a cross-sectional, mixed methods approach to describe Boston, MA oral health profession student language concordance with patients. Of note, to fully characterize the spectrum of language concordance use, we utilized a broad definition of language concordance as any use of a non-English language to communicate with a non-English speaking patient. Between July-August 2023, students from three dental schools and one dental hygiene school were surveyed, returning a response rate of 23% (N=96/417). Survey areas included generic demographics, languages used with patients, language use specifics (frequency, comfort, and self-assessed proficiency), and prior education or certification. Summary statistics were generated from survey results. Dental students comprised 71% (N=68/96) of the respondents, and dental hygiene students comprised the remainder. Of the respondents, 51% (N=49/96) reported having used language concordance with patients to discuss dental diagnoses or treatment plans. The frequency of use distribution appeared bimodal, with peaks at "a few times a year" and "more than once a week." Over one third of students were "somewhat comfortable" with both dental terms and medical terms (N=19/48, 16/47 respectively). The simple majority reported 0 hours of dental-specific and medical-specific language education in their non-English language (N=21/48, 27/44 respectively), and the majority reported no bilingual or interpreter certification (N=43/48, 46/48 respectively). Subsequent explanatory semi-structured interviews of 11 previous survey respondents related to five categories: workflow and logistics, attitudes, language background and education, decision-making, and frequency. A mixed inductive-deductive thematic analysis was used to generate themes from interview data. Interviewees used language concordance in a variety of ways, from handling all communications to giving simple instructions only as an adjunct to professional interpretation. Interviewees also discussed a range of prior language education, including informal education from family or community, formal education in high school or college, or having grown up in a non-English speaking country. Proposed quality improvement initiatives include improved dental-specific language education resources that target heterogeneous language backgrounds, regular assessment of student language concordance use, competence, and attitudes, and more concordant staff and written resources. Language concordance in Boston, MA dental and dental hygiene schools encompasses a diverse spectrum of functions and individual student language proficiency. Future studies may examine the impacts of proposed policy changes, incorporate a nationally representative, interprofessional population, or use the more nuanced definition of language concordance examined here for more rigorous study design. |