Addressing Racism in Medical Education An Interactive Training Module

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Disparities Research
• Anti-Racism Training

Background:

• Current health care clinician education on disparities often overlooks racism.
• Focusing on racism and unconscious bias equips clinicians to reduce bias towards minority patients.
• This study addresses the need for effective teaching strategies on racism within health disparities education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a relationship-based workshop and toolkit designed to teach medical educators about racism.
• To assess changes in participants' knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in addressing racism in health care.
• To provide recommendations for developing and disseminating curricula on racism in health professional education.

Main Methods:

• A faculty development workshop was created by a diverse team, including a didactic presentation, video vignette, and discussions.
• The workshop incorporated a toolkit for teaching about racism and its impact on health disparities.
• Participants (N=120) attended the workshop; a subset (N=72) completed pre/postsurveys.

Main Results:

• Qualitative feedback revealed emotional responses to the video, including dismay, anger, fear, and shame.
• Pre/postsurveys showed significant positive changes in participants' attitudes and knowledge about racism.
• A notable increase in participants' personal commitment to addressing racism in patient care was observed.

Conclusions:

• The workshop successfully enhanced participants' knowledge and attitudes concerning racism and health inequities.
• The training improved participants' confidence in educating future health professionals to mitigate racism.
• There is a clear need for national dissemination of such curricula to equip faculty with effective anti-racism teaching resources.