Developing a questionnaire to assess student awareness of the need to be culturally aware in clinical practice

This study aimed to establish whether students had an awareness of the requirement to consider cultural issues in caring for patients and to identify those issues which are most difficult for students, in order to aid course development. Data was collected using previously developed questionnaires which were modified and added to for the study undertaken at the University of Leicester Medical School in February and June 1998. Thirty fourth year and 75 second year medical students completed the questionnaires. Students accepted that they as doctors have a responsibility to be aware of the different cultures within their practice. Their responses supported the introduction of sessions on cultural and racial awareness as part of the Human Diversity Module. The sessions have been designed to facilitate students to explore their own perception and understanding of culture in a challenging, relevant and enjoyable way. The questionnaire developed in this study will be used to compare student attitudes pre- and post-teaching sessions to assess any change.