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Promoting Chinese-Speaking Primary Care Physicians’ Communication with Immigrant Patients about Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Cluster Randomized Trial Design
- Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 25, Number 3, August 2014
- pp. 1079-1100
- 10.1353/hpu.2014.0114
- Article
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Chinese Americans underutilize colorectal cancer screening. This study evaluated a physician-based intervention guided by social cognitive theory (SCT) to inform future research involving minority physicians and patients. Twenty-five Chinese-speaking primary care physicians were randomized into intervention or usual care arms. The intervention included two 45-minute in-office training sessions paired with a dual-language communication guide detailing strategies in addressing Chinese patients’ screening barriers. Physicians’ feedback on the intervention, their performance data during training, and pre-post intervention survey data were collected and analyzed. Most physicians (~85%) liked the intervention materials but ~84% spent less than 20 minutes reading the guide and only 46% found the length of time for in-office training acceptable. Despite this, the intervention increased physicians’ perceived communication self-efficacy with patients (p<.01). This study demonstrated the feasibility of enrolling and intervening with minority physicians. Time constraints in primary care practice should be considered in the design and implementation of interventions.