Improving Assessment and Learning Environments for Graduate Medical Trainees to Advance Healthcare Language Equity.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-2024

Identifier

DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08527-3

Abstract

Language-appropriate care is critical for equitable, high-quality health care, but educational standards to assure graduate medical trainees are prepared to give such care are lacking. Detailed guidance for graduate medical education is provided by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education through the following: (1) an assessment framework for competencies, subcompetencies, and milestones for trainees and (2) the Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) Pathways for assessment of trainees' learning environments. These tools do not include a robust framework to evaluate trainees' abilities to offer language-appropriate care. They also do not address the learning environment's potential to support such care. A multidisciplinary group of linguistic, medical, and educational experts drafted a new subcompetency with milestones and an expanded CLER Pathway to highlight the importance of equitable care for patients who prefer languages other than English. These resources offer residency and fellowship programs tools to guide assessment, curriculum development, and learning-environment improvements related to language-appropriate care. Recognizing that programs have unique needs and resources, we propose a range of initial actions to address language equity. A focus on language diversity in the learning environment can have a broad and lasting impact on care quality, patient safety, and health equity.

Journal Title

Journal of general internal medicine : official journal of the Society for Research and Education in Primary Care Internal Medicine

Volume

39

Issue

4

First Page

696

Last Page

705

MeSH Keywords

Humans; Curriculum; Education, Medical, Graduate; Internship and Residency; Accreditation; Delivery of Health Care; Language; Clinical Competence

Keywords

evaluation; graduate medical education; health equity; language; medical Spanish

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