%0 Journal Article
%T Promoting Intercultural Competence in German Medical Students via Innovative Medical Ethics Education Focused on Muslim Patients – A Pilot Study
%A Naincy Rani
%A Peter Gehrke
%J Asian Journal of Ethics in Health and Medicine
%@ 3108-5059
%D 2025
%V 5
%N 5
%R 10.51847/0foncaeXr1
%P 1-12
%X Delivering high-quality healthcare in today’s multicultural society requires that healthcare professionals are skilled in addressing cultural and religious differences in patient care. Despite this need, medical education often falls short in providing adequate cultural competence training, especially regarding care for Muslim patients. To address this gap, we developed an innovative educational program aimed at enhancing medical students’ intercultural skills, with a focus on caring for Muslim patients. The intervention consisted of interactive seminars combined with simulated patient encounters. Intercultural competencies of n = 31 medical students from the Medical Faculty of Jena University were evaluated before and after the course using both a bespoke questionnaire and the Cross‑Cultural Competence of Healthcare Professionals (CCCHP‑27) instrument. A control group of 34 students was also included. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, Wilcoxon tests, correlation analyses, Mann–Whitney U-tests, and multiple regression analyses. Findings from the bespoke questionnaire indicated significant increases in overall intercultural knowledge (median pre 1.0 [0.6–1.6] vs. post 2.2 [2.4–2.8], p < 0.001) and specific knowledge regarding Muslim patients (median pre 1.0 [0.5–1.5] vs. post 2.5 [2–3], p < 0.001). CCCHP‑27 scores also showed a significant improvement in skills (pre 4.10 ± 0.47; post 4.38 ± 0.40; p = 0.001). Female students and those with limited prior exposure to intercultural settings exhibited greater improvements (p = 0.005 and p = 0.053, respectively). The inclusion of a simulated patient session was particularly well-received, highlighting the value of experiential learning in reinforcing course content. This study underscores the critical need for embedding intercultural competency training within medical education. Our results demonstrate that targeted educational interventions can significantly enhance medical students’ intercultural abilities. The bespoke questionnaire developed for this study provides a useful tool for evaluating such competencies within the German healthcare context. Integrating similar programs into medical curricula across the country is essential to equip future physicians to effectively serve diverse patient populations.
%U https://smerpub.com/article/promoting-intercultural-competence-in-german-medical-students-via-innovative-medical-ethics-educatio-fqgw69e3dsngyfd