title: Medical education in a foreign language and history-taking in the native language in Lebanon - a nationwide survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With the adoption of the English language in medical education, a gap in clinical communication may develop in countries where the native language is different from the language of medical education. This study investigates the association between medical education in a foreign language and students' confidence in their history-taking skills in their native language.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study consisted of a 17-question survey among medical students in clinical clerkships of Lebanese medical schools. The relationship between the language of medical education and confidence in conducting a medical history in Arabic (the native language) was evaluated (n = 457).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority (88.5%) of students whose native language was Arabic were confident they could conduct a medical history in Arabic. Among participants enrolled in the first clinical year, high confidence in Arabic history-taking was independently associated with Arabic being the native language and with conducting medical history in Arabic either in the pre-clinical years or during extracurricular activities. Among students in their second clinical year, however, these factors were not associated with confidence levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite having their medical education in a foreign language, the majority of students in Lebanese medical schools are confident in conducting a medical history in their native language.
authors.affiliation: Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos-Jbeil, Lebanon.|Lebanese American University School of Medicine, Lebanese American University Medical Center - Rizk Hospital, May Zahhar Street, P.O. Box: 11-3288, Ashrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Vanda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Abi Raad
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Kareem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raad
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Yazan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Daaboul
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korjian
authors.affiliation: Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos-Jbeil, Lebanon.|Lebanese American University School of Medicine, Lebanese American University Medical Center - Rizk Hospital, May Zahhar Street, P.O. Box: 11-3288, Ashrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Asmar
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Mouin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jammal
authors.affiliation: Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos-Jbeil, Lebanon. sola.bahous@lau.edu.lb.|Lebanese American University School of Medicine, Lebanese American University Medical Center - Rizk Hospital, May Zahhar Street, P.O. Box: 11-3288, Ashrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon. sola.bahous@lau.edu.lb.
authors.forename: Sola
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aoun Bahous
mesh_terms: D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D032882:Comprehension; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007861:Lebanon; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D019303:Multilingualism; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019366:Western World
keywords: History-taking; Medical education; Native language; Self-reported confidence level; Survey