Theme
International Medical Education
Category
General
INSTITUTION
HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research
The films were instrumental in changing the way that viewers, all health professionals, said they interacted with patients, reflecting a deeper understanding of and respect for cultural difference. Most importantly, what they don’t know about patients, they ask. These changes in behavior and style will, undoubtedly, improve communication and increase patient satisfaction. Participants felt the experience was personally transformative, made them more effective in roles, increased their ability to teach others about health disparities, and heightened the value of engaging with communities.
Sharing stories of ethnic patients’ and families’ experiences of health and health care is one method to facilitate dialogue and encourage improved understanding among the public and health care professionals about equitable health. Creating films that capture culture authenticity, contain universal themes and promote audience reaction is a challenging task.
To supplement our initative to decrease health disparities, we created four films, each depicting a family in an ethnic community as it encounters barriers and successes with the health system in the quest for quality health care. The content was structured to stimulate an emotional response and understanding. Stories included cultural and social factors, social strengths, health beliefs, customs and values, languages, diet, trust, health literacy, networks of support, that influence health. The screenplays were commissioned, each from a playwright of the ethnic community portrayed in the script, consistent with the aim of cultural authenticity. The four films, each telling the story of a family’s health related to culture, barriers and the health system, were presented at collaborative conferences, and accompanied by discussions with community members and cultural experts.
When producing films that include multiple cultures, special attention is needed to create a common vision for the written script, manage language and translation issues, choose sets and locations that are culturally authentic, find appropriate talent, navigate cultural preferences and expectations of actors, and maintain cultural sensitivity in postproduction.
Bottom line, the use of films capturing culturally authentic stories of health, helped collaborative participants to recognize that while patients may be quite similar physiologically, awareness of cultural differences plays an important role in how effectively they treat and care for patients from diverse cultures.
Over the course of the creation and production of the films, specific issues and best practices related to culturally specific health films emerged. They can be organized into six themes:
1. Creating a common vision for the written script.
2. Managing language and translation issues.
3. Choosing sets and locations that are culturally authentic.
4. Finding talent.
5. Navigating cultural preferences and expectations of actors.
6. Maintaining cultural sensitivity in postproduction.
The authors would like to acknowledge the following organizations and individuals for their contributions to this work:
- Mixed Blood Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Twin Cities Public Television
- 120 members of the EBAN Experience Teams from HealthPartners, Regions Hospital, HealthPartners Medical and Dental Groups and Twin Cities ethnic communities.
“Healthy Acts.” A documentary, filmed by TPT Television, created from films of commissioned ethnic screenplays created for the EBAN Experience, and interviews with Minnesota state health leaders and community partners. 26 min. Premiered February 10, 2012, Twin Cities Public Television. Nominated for a Midwest Emmy Award for Best Topical Documentary.
Patow C, Bryan D. The EBAN Experience: An Equitable Health Collaborative. AAMC R4R (Readiness for Reform)Website. https://www.aamc.org/icollaborative/r4r/263946/resource153.html (Accessed July 8, 2012).
Patow C, Bryan D. Connecting hearts and minds: Four ways to improve learning through interactive storytelling. Medical Meetings. September/October 2011, 20-25.
Patow C, Bryan D. The Play’s the Thing: Theater performances enhancing physician education. Minnesota Physician. May, 2012, 14-15.