Published Support for Wellness, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Among Internal Medicine Residency Program Websites

The objective of this study was to review internal medicine residency program websites in the United States based on their published support for wellness, diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts. Inclusion of wellness, diversity, equity, and inclusion on program websites can serve as critical student benchmarks, and it may be paramount to optimize residency program websites accordingly.

This is a cross-sectional study of the websites of 597 internal medicine residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education between March 25 and April 25, 2022. The websites were assessed based on 22 characteristics consisting of wellness verbiage, gender and underrepresented in medicine evaluation of faculty and residents, and diversity, equity, and inclusion-related semantics. Website photos were used to assess ethnic/sex representation. These attributes were devised by two sequentially set up focus groups consisting of 49 racially, ethnically, and gender-diverse medical students.

A total of 579 internal medicine programs were reviewed. Only 239 (41%) had a dedicated page for resident wellness activities and efforts, while 134 (19%) had no mention of the concept throughout their web pages. Similarly, only 136 (23%) had a dedicated wellness officer, whether faculty or resident, who was focused on departmental interests. Gender diversity could be determined in 445 (77%) and 459 (79%) websites for faculty and residents, respectively. Underrepresented in medicine faculty and residents was noted in 293 (51%) and 393 (68%) of websites, respectively. A diversity, equity, and inclusion section was present in 172 (30%) of programs, with 93 (16%) having an assigned faculty or resident. Chairpersons or program directors stressed diversity, equity, and inclusion in up to 456 (79%) of the websites, with 181 (31%) having program mission statements or goals that include diversity, equity, and inclusion verbiage.

A deficit of various essential wellness, diversity, equity, and inclusion attributes persists across internal medicine residency websites. Residency programs would benefit from optimizing their websites to attract more diverse applicants.