Resident physicians' knowledge of underserved patients: a multi-institutional survey

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Health Disparities
• Physician Knowledge Assessment

Background:

• Understanding the knowledge base of resident physicians regarding underserved populations is crucial for addressing health equity.
• Existing literature and expert interviews informed the development of a comprehensive survey instrument.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure both actual and perceived knowledge levels of resident physicians concerning underserved patient populations.
• To identify gaps in resident education related to vulnerable patient groups.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, multi-institutional survey was administered to 498 resident physicians across 7 specialties at 10 US institutions.
• The survey included 30 multiple-choice questions to assess actual knowledge and 15 Likert-scale items for perceived knowledge.
• Data were analyzed to compare knowledge scores and confidence levels, with subgroup analyses by gender and race/ethnicity.

Main Results:

• Residents reported low confidence (14.0% very confident) and achieved an average score of 38% on actual knowledge questions.
• Women and African American residents scored significantly higher than their male and other racial/ethnic counterparts, respectively.
• A strong association was observed between residents' perceived confidence and their actual knowledge levels.

Conclusions:

• US resident physicians exhibit low actual and perceived knowledge regarding underserved populations.
• The high correlation between perceived and actual knowledge suggests residents may overestimate their understanding.
• Findings underscore an urgent need to enhance resident education curricula focused on the needs of vulnerable patient groups.