The Mini-Med School and Its Impact on Future Health Care Professionals' Attitudes toward Indigenous People.

Mini-Med Schools (MiMS) are an opportunity for health sciences and social work undergraduates to discuss health-related topics with Innu and Atikamekw youth in Canada. More than 500 undergraduates and 1,000 students have taken part in the project since its beginning in 2011. This study aims to assess the impact of both 1) MiMS's predeparture training and 2) the MiMS themselves on undergraduates' prejudices toward Indigenous peoples. Satisfaction of the undergraduates taking part in the activity was also assessed. Seventy-eight undergraduates were recruited and completed the Old-fashioned and Modern Prejudiced Attitudes Toward Aboriginals Scales (O-PATAS and M-PATAS) at baseline, after the pre-departure training, and after the MiMS. They also completed satisfaction surveys. This study shows a reduction of prejudices after participating to a MiMS, but no effect of a pre-departure training. The activities were overall appreciated by undergraduates and most of them would like to take part again in the MiMS.

Using patient companions as interpreters in the Emergency Department: An interdisciplinary quantitative and qualitative assessment.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the perceived and actual quality of communication and the conversational mechanisms through which misunderstandings arise in linguistically diverse Emergency Department consultations. METHODS: A mixed method approach was used, based on audio-records of consultations which rely on patient companions for linguistic support, and ethnographic contextual data. Interpreting errors and their potential impact on the clinical reasoning process and doctor-patient relationships were quantitatively assessed. Complementary qualitative ethnographic research provided a richer understanding of the context. The study involved interdisciplinary collaboration with specialists in applied linguistics, medicine, and psychology. RESULTS: Accurate interpretation occurred in as few as 19% of interpreter speech turns. Answering for the patient and omitting information were the most frequent errors. The nature and severity of the impact of the errors varied. Answering for the patient had the greatest clinical impact. The omission of messages from the doctor to the patient negatively affected doctor-patient relationships. CONCLUSION: Gaps were observed between the perceived and the actual quality of communication, although patient companions often provided useful information. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In addition to raising awareness among doctors on the potential risks of using AHIs, EDs should adjust their management to increase the utilization of onsite and remote PIs.