Medical English Training for Healthcare Personnel at Nipah Community Health Center, North Lombok District, to Overcome Language Barriers

Abstract

Language barriers can pose a problem in communication between healthcare personnel and foreign patients. Improving English language skills is a must for healthcare personnel, especially those employed in community health centers in tourism areas. The community service team from the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Al-Azhar, provided Medical English training for healthcare personnel at the Nipah Community Health Center, North Lombok Regency. A total of four meetings were held from June-September 2023. The participants learned basic Medical English from the presentation slides, illustrated bilingual handbooks, and role-play. Analysis showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores (P-value < 0.001). In conclusion, this training had a positive impact in helping healthcare personnel learn Medical English to overcome language barriers. It was proposed that this training should be continued in the future. It is recommended that future training programs place greater emphasis on practical skills, with a particular focus on listening and speaking.