A Systematic Review of Microaggression-Focused Interventions and Training Programs in Healthcare

Microaggressions in healthcare are prevalent in clinical encounters, training, and collegial interactions, impacting the physical and psychological well-being of patients and healthcare professionals with marginalized backgrounds. To address healthcare-based microaggressions, there has been an increasing number of interventions and training programs over the past few decades. Based upon the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist, a systematic literature search, screening, and review of microaggression-focused interventions and programs in healthcare settings was conducted and yielded 44 interventions. The interventions and training programs included were reviewed on a range of program characteristics and quality indicators, such as theoretical framework, targeted interpersonal interaction, targeted behavioral strategies, delivery platform and teaching modality, and evaluation design. The reviewed interventions and programs have shown promising potential in enhancing awareness of and/or behavioral skills in addressing microaggressions. Further, this review identified critical areas in the field for improvement, such as a lack of interventions designed for or implemented among preceptors and patients and for equipping perpetrators with strategies when involved in microaggressions, insufficient use of randomized controlled trials and other rigorous methods for intervention and program evaluation, and a lack of an intersectionality lens and placing microaggressions in the historical and structural context.