Speaker
Description
Background: Most English for Medical Purposes (EMP) courses focus on Western medicine. Acupuncturists have specific learning requirements. They must explain Eastern ideas—like Qi, meridians, and De Qi—to foreign patients from varied cultures to ensure safety and build trust.
Objective: Objective: This study uses a mixed-methods approach to find the specific EMP needs of Japanese acupuncturists and assess the results of a four-month clinical English program. This program is based on role-playing and customized for Eastern medicine.
Methods: Before and after a four-month medical English program, surveys were done with acupuncturists (n = 12). All participants gave their permission to participate. The data collected before the program helped inform the curriculum. The data collected after the program assessed if the program was helpful. Thematic coding was used to analyze open-ended responses. The curriculum concentrated on describing Eastern concepts—like pulse diagnosis and treatment methods—in easily understandable language.
Results: Before the course, acupuncturists needed English to take patient histories. They also needed to reassure patients about unfamiliar things, like healing crises and how the treatment works. After the course, they felt much less nervous about using English. They said they could better guide patients through treatments and explain Eastern ideas clearly without interpreters, which helped them build stronger relationships with patients.
Conclusion: The results show that EMP programs for Eastern medicine practitioners should include content specific to their profession and cultural setting. Doing so improves practitioners' clinical communication skills and confidence.