Preparing Medical Students to Address the Needs of Vulnerable Patient Populations: Implicit Bias Training in US Medical
- PDF / 220,307 Bytes
- 5 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 100 Downloads / 235 Views
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Preparing Medical Students to Address the Needs of Vulnerable Patient Populations: Implicit Bias Training in US Medical Schools Matthew C. Morris 1 & Robert Lyle Cooper 2 & Aramandla Ramesh 3 & Mohammad Tabatabai 4 & Thomas A. Arcury 5 & Marybeth Shinn 6 & Wansoo Im 2 & Paul Juarez 2 & Patricia Matthews-Juarez 2
# International Association of Medical Science Educators 2020
Abstract Little is known about how medical students are trained to identify and reduce their own biases toward vulnerable patient groups. A survey was conducted among US medical schools to determine whether their curricula addressed physician implicit biases toward three vulnerable patient groups: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals, persons experiencing homelessness, and migrant farmworkers. Of 141 US medical schools, 71 (50%) responded. Survey respondents indicated that implicit bias is not routinely addressed in medical education, and training specific to vulnerable populations is infrequent. Recommendations for incorporating implicit bias training in medical school curricula are discussed. Keywords Implicit bias . Medical education . LGBTQ . Homelessness . Migrant farmworkers
Background Patient populations are considered vulnerable if social barriers, such as discrimination, prevent them from achieving optimal functioning in social, educational, and occupational domains of their lives and prevent them from accessing services to fulfill basic needs, such as health care and housing [1]. Vulnerable populations, including those who are migrant farmworkers, experiencing homelessness, or identify as
* Matthew C. Morris [email protected] 1
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS, USA
2
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA
3
Department of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA
4
School of Graduate Studies and Research, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA
5
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
6
Department of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ), frequently experience stigma from the general population based on group characteristics. Health care providers and students enrolled in health professions training programs often hold the same biases toward vulnerable populations as other members of society. Moreover, research shows a decline in student empathy toward patients during medical school [2]. Continuing emphasis on reducing biases toward vulnerable populations throughout medical education is likely critical for minimizing the negative impact of these biases on medical decision-making and patient interactions [3]. Many health professionals express discomfort providing care for vulnerable populations [4] and may
Data Loading...
