Stakeholder views regarding cultural diversity teaching outcomes: a qualitative study

Nisha Dogra¹ and Olivia Carter-Pokras²

¹University of Leicester Greenwood Institute of Child Health, Leicester, UK

²University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

author email corresponding author email

BMC Medical Education 2005, 5:37doi:10.1186/1472-6920-5-37


Published:	1 November 2005

Abstract

Background

Cultural diversity teaching is increasingly present in both undergraduate and postgraduate training programmes. This study explored the views of stakeholders in medical education about the potential outcomes of cultural diversity teaching and how they thought cultural diversity programmes might be effectively evaluated.

Methods

A semi-structured interview was undertaken with 61 stakeholders (including policymakers, diversity teachers, students and users). The data were analysed and themes identified.

Results

Many participants felt that clinical practice was improved through 'cultural diversity teaching' and this was mostly as a result of improved doctor-patient communication. There was a strong view that service users need to participate in the evaluation of outcomes of cultural diversity teaching.

Conclusion

There is a general perception, rather than clear evidence, that cultural diversity teaching can have a positive effect on clinical practice. Cultural diversity teaching needs to be reviewed in undergraduate and postgraduate medicine and better evaluation tools need to be established.