Innovación y Acción

Dr. Janice Whitty successfully completed the Medical Spanish 1.1 and Cultural Competency course at Meharry Medical College, Department of Ob-Gyn under the sponsorship of the Innovative Bilingual Bicultural Patient Provider Program (IBPPP) grant (Program Innovador Bilingue para reducir el Riesgo de Diabetes Gestacional en Hispanos). This is what she says about her experience: "It has been helpful to speak a little bit of Spanish to my patients. I would like to learn more, but because of the lack of free time as a Health Care Provider, I cannot do it and practice it as I should. I want to learn more Spanish to understand my patients better and to have a better relationship with them".

Dr. Whitty's patient, Mrs. T.S., says about her interaction with the health care providers who participated in the IBPPP program "It's very nice to hear somebody speak to you in Spanish, and it also feels good listening to Dr. Whitty trying to explain to me in Spanish what it is happening during my pregnancy, even though the interpreter is with us."

Every time Dr. Whitty receives a Hispanic patient at the MFM clinic, she greets them and introduces herself in Spanish. If it is the first time the patient has seen Dr. Whitty, they are surprised and sometimes they do not know how to respond until they realize that the doctor is speaking in Spanish or the interpreter repeats what the doctor already has said in Spanish.

When the questions start, the patients get very excited and start speaking faster, looking at the Doctor directly. Dr. Whitty or the interpreter has to ask the patient to slow down because Dr. Whitty is not fluent yet in Spanish, and it is difficult for the interpreter to remember exactly what the patient has said. Patients feel comfortable when they hear the doctor saying some words in Spanish. They are so grateful that they mistakenly assume the doctor is fluent in Spanish. By the second visit with Dr. Whitty, patients are more open and comfortable talking about their concerns and asking more questions without feeling ashamed or embarrassed about not speaking English.

Dr. Knight has completed two Medical Spanish and Cultural Competency courses under the IBPPP program. She has been an enthusiastic learner and is already using some Spanish with her patients. Every time Dr. Knight sees a pregnant Hispanic patient seated in the waiting room of the OB/GYN clinic, she greets them in Spanish, saying, "Buenos días. ¿Cómo están?" Some of these patients have looked back at her in surprise and disbelief because they did not expect to be greeted so kindly in their own language by a doctor. This sense of connection gave the patient and her husband the courage to start practicing their English with her. They said this was because "she has tried to communicate with us in our own language even though we can understand a little bit of English. She made the effort to speak Spanish, and not many people are doing that for us."

Since then, every time this Hispanic woman and her husband come to the OB/GYN clinic for prenatal care, they look for Dr. Knight just to say hello and practice their English and to hear Dr. Knight practice her Spanish with them. This is a true bidirectional instructional approach!

Patients with gestational diabetes receive regular nutrition counseling from Dr. Knight at the OB/GYN clinic. Every time Hispanic pregnant women have come to see her, they have made positive comments about Dr. Knight's attitude and interest in the Hispanic/Latino culture. This has increased the patients' feelings of confidence and and their trust in doctors at the Meharry Medical College OB/GYN Clinic. "She understands our habits about food, [our] beliefs and [our] culture. When she said in a nice and polite way that there is nothing wrong with the food that we usually eat and like from our own countries, and when she explains the variety of combinations and portions of food we should be eating, we realize that she knows and has empathy for the Hispanic/Latino culture and people. We like when Dr Knight tries to tell us in Spanish what to eat and the ways she interacts with us; that makes us feel confident and relaxed when talking to her".

Ms. Mayra Yu-Morales, the Bilingual Health Educator in the IBPPP grant says: "As the bilingual health educator at the OB/GYN clinic of Meharry Medical College, I have noticed the change within the clinic. Health care providers and patients feel more comfortable talking to each other because both parties have been trying to communicate both in English and Spanish. The patients are making a big effort to communicate in English and learn medical terminology; even when the interpreter is in the room, they want to try, and the Doctors are trying as well to communicate in the patient's native language, Spanish".

Dr. Maria del Pilar Aguinaga, project manager for the IBPPP grant says: "After the first Medical Spanish and Cultural Competency Course took place in our Department, I find my colleagues, including our project director, trying to greet me in Spanish, since I am a native speaker. They like it when I help them correct their pronunciation". "IBPPP has brought such a change to our Department. It's amazing what innovation and action can do".

Dr. Gloria Richard-Davis, Project Director for the IBPPP grant says "It's exciting to see our faculty more comfortable engaging Spanish-speaking patient and more understanding of other cultures. Even our senior faculty were extremely excited about learning Spanish."

"We have had many requests from nursing staff and other department providers about enrolling in our program, because they see a lot of patients with limited English proficiency. It would help them to take better care of their patients and not be totally dependent on interpreters or language lines. particularly in Labor and Delivery, where there may not be time to wait on an interpreter or use a language line. I wish we could accommodate all requests we get."

Story Prepared By:
Mayra Morales and Dr. Maria del Pilar Aguinaga

For More Information Contact:
Mayra Morales at 615-327-6557