Preparing Medical Students to Address Health Disparities Through Longitudinally Integrated Social Justice Curricula:...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Health Equity

Background:

• Health disparities persist, partly due to inadequate education of healthcare professionals on social and structural drivers of health (SDH).
• A lack of standardized best practices hinders effective teaching of concepts like racism and classism in medical schools.
• Social Justice Curricula (SJC) are emerging as a method to prioritize health equity in medical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the integration of SJC in U.S. medical schools.
• To evaluate the criteria used for measuring SJC success and the extent to which they are met.
• To identify best practices in planning, implementing, and evaluating SJC.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of 7 databases for English-language studies from January 2000 to April 2020.
• Inclusion of longitudinally integrated SJC at U.S. medical schools for all students.
• Synthesis and summarization of quantitative and qualitative outcomes.

Main Results:

• 11 studies met inclusion criteria, revealing diverse teaching methods and didactic hours for SJC.
• Students in SJC showed improved knowledge and skills in addressing SDH, with satisfaction reported, though attitude changes were equivocal.
• Graduation and residency evaluations indicated SJC-prepared students are more adept at serving underserved patients.

Conclusions:

• SJC effectively prepares medical students to address the root causes of health disparities.
• Best practices include addressing the hidden curriculum and medical mistrust.
• Further research is needed on the long-term impact of SJC on students, patients, and communities.