# Determining the Impact of Medical Arabic Workshops on Medical Students' Preparedness and Communication Skills With Arabic-Speaking Patients

## TL;DR

This study shows that medical Arabic workshops significantly improved students' confidence and preparedness to communicate with Arabic-speaking patients.

## Contribution

This is the first US-based study to evaluate the effectiveness of structured medical Arabic training for medical students.

## Key findings

- Workshops increased students' confidence in understanding Arabic in clinical settings from 2.18 to 3.14 (p < 0.0001).
- Students' confidence in communicating health information rose from 2.10 to 3.17 (p < 0.0001).
- Most participants agreed the workshops enhanced their clinical skills and preparedness for Arabic-speaking patients.

## Abstract

Introduction

While Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) serves a large Arab-American patient population, medical students have limited opportunities for formal instruction in medical Arabic, which may hinder effective communication with Arabic-speaking patients. To address this gap, a series of medical Arabic workshops was implemented, focusing on medical terminology and patient interaction. This study evaluates the impact of these workshops on students' self-reported preparedness and confidence when interacting with Arabic-speaking patients. Notably, there is a lack of prior US-based studies examining the effectiveness of structured medical Arabic training for medical students, further underscoring the novelty and relevance of this research.

Methods

An anonymous survey was distributed to WSUSOM students who attended one or more medical Arabic workshops. The survey utilized a five-point Likert scale (1 = never, 5 = always) to assess domains such as communication confidence, comprehension preparedness, and perceived training utility. A total of 119 students completed the pre-workshop survey, and 110 completed the post-workshop survey. Unpaired t-tests were used to compare weighted averages across domains before and after the workshops, with p-values <0.05 considered significant.

Results

Participation in the medical Arabic workshops was associated with statistically significant improvements in students’ confidence and preparedness when interacting with Arabic-speaking patients. Pre-workshop, the weighted average score for confidence in understanding Arabic in clinical settings was 2.18 (SD = 1.34), which increased to 3.14 (SD = 1.15) post-workshop (p < 0.0001). Similarly, students’ confidence in communicating health information rose from an average of 2.10 (SD = 1.21) to 3.17 (SD = 1.09) after attending the workshops (p < 0.0001). Additionally, the proportion of students reporting regular use of Arabic in clinical encounters remained high, but post-workshop responses indicated a reduction in the frequency with which students needed clarification during patient interactions. Overall, the majority of participants agreed that the workshops enhanced their clinical skills and preparedness to serve Arabic-speaking patients.

Conclusions

Medical Arabic workshops effectively improved medical students’ confidence and readiness to engage with Arabic-speaking patients. These findings suggest that targeted language and cultural competency training may enhance communication and clinical performance, and that integration of similar programs into the formal medical school curriculum could help address language barriers in patient care.