Development and Feasibility of a Communication Accommodation Training Module for Health Profession Students
- 1East Carolina University
Abstract
ObjectivesHealth professions students often receive limited training on how to adjust their communication for patients whose first language is not English (LX), despite the risks for diagnosis, treatment, and patient trust. Based on Communication Accommodation Theory, we developed a brief module to improve students awareness and knowledge of strategic communication adjustments for LX patients.
MethodsWe tested feasibility in a single-group, pre-post pilot study guided by the Kirkpatrick framework with undergraduate (n=22) and graduate (n=41) speech-language pathology and psychology students in Massachusetts and North Carolina. The module included instructional content, video and audio examples, interactive activities, and a podcast. Learning was assessed with knowledge checks, and self-reported facilitative and resistant accommodation with the Communication Accommodation Behavior Scale (CABS). After training, students rated their confidence and likelihood of using accommodation strategies.
ResultsAt both sites, facilitative accommodation increased and resistant accommodation decreased significantly, with a larger decrease at the undergraduate site. Knowledge-check accuracy was high at both time points, suggesting a ceiling effect. Students reported moderate-to-high confidence in adapting their speech and high likelihood of using a learned strategy in future clinical encounters.
ConclusionsA brief module can be feasibly delivered across institutions and is associated with short-term improvements in self-reported communication accommodation.
Practice implicationsWe recommend future work evaluate whether these changes translate into clinical behavior long-term and refine knowledge-check items to better capture learning gains.
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BibTeX
@misc{rothermich2026development,
title = {{Development and Feasibility of a Communication Accommodation Training Module for Health Profession Students}},
author = {K. Rothermich and R. Clark-Stallkamp and R. P. Baker-Iyore and C. Cuatico and J. G. L. Lee and S. C. Bobb},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.16.26365768},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.16.26365768v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Development and Feasibility of a Communication Accommodation Training Module for Health Profession Students
AU - K. Rothermich
AU - R. Clark-Stallkamp
AU - R. P. Baker-Iyore
AU - C. Cuatico
AU - J. G. L. Lee
AU - S. C. Bobb
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.16.26365768
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.16.26365768v1
AB - ObjectivesHealth professions students often receive limited training on how to adjust their communication for patients whose first language is not English (LX), despite the risks for diagnosis, treatment, and patient trust. Based on Communication Accommodation Theory, we developed a brief module to improve students awareness and knowledge of strategic communication adjustments for LX patients. MethodsWe tested feasibility in a single-group, pre-post pilot study guided by the Kirkpatrick framework with undergraduate (n=22) and graduate (n=41) speech-language pathology and psychology students in Massachusetts and North Carolina. The module included instructional content, video and audio examples, interactive activities, and a podcast. Learning was assessed with knowledge checks, and self-reported facilitative and resistant accommodation with the Communication Accommodation Behavior Scale (CABS). After training, students rated their confidence and likelihood of using accommodation strategies. ResultsAt both sites, facilitative accommodation increased and resistant accommodation decreased significantly, with a larger decrease at the undergraduate site. Knowledge-check accuracy was high at both time points, suggesting a ceiling effect. Students reported moderate-to-high confidence in adapting their speech and high likelihood of using a learned strategy in future clinical encounters. ConclusionsA brief module can be feasibly delivered across institutions and is associated with short-term improvements in self-reported communication accommodation. Practice implicationsWe recommend future work evaluate whether these changes translate into clinical behavior long-term and refine knowledge-check items to better capture learning gains.
ER -