Quick facts

• Year: 2022

  Country: USA

  Institution: Various Higher Education Institutions with medical education

  Learners: Pre-qualifying medical students, medical residents, fellows and faculty.

  Aims: The aim of the intervention was to teach anti-racism communication practices and provide learners with practical strategies for use in clinical care.  These were based on the Presence 5 for Racial Justice practices.

Why was the education intervention developed?

There was a recognition that curricula that directly addressed racism was limited. In addition, there were even fewer theory-driven and evidence-grounded interventions that address anti-Black racism and facilitate focused discussions in medical education.   

What was involved in the education intervention?

The intervention included a virtual one-hour workshop via Zoom and was facilitated by fellows, faculty members, and medical students. The session introduced the Presence 5 framework (details can be found here - Stanford Presence 5 | Presence | Stanford Medicine).  A case was presented, and participants discussed in small groups how they would apply the Presence 5 framework to the case. Learners were encouraged to reflect on the discussion and set achievable goals they could incorporate into their practise. The workshop ended with a large group debrief.

How was the education intervention evaluated? 

A voluntary survey was used to evaluate the workshop and inform its further development.  The survey evaluated each of the Presence 5 Racial Justice Practices and learner responses.  A thematic analysis of the qualitative responses was used.  No evaluation of learner knowledge, attitude or behaviour change was carried out.

What was the impact of the education intervention?

A total of 17 participants took part in the workshop, with just over half (9) responding to the survey. Learners enjoyed the workshop content, valuing guidance on having difficult conversations about health and racism.

Key learnings

• Participants highlighted the importance of consistent, ongoing discussions on anti-racism. However, a major challenge is incorporating this topic into the current medical training curriculum. Future iterations should allocate dedicated time within the existing curriculum to address this issue effectively.

Challenges

• The workshops took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, so they had to be held online, which may have restricted learner engagement.

Recommendations

• The authors recommend the use of this workshop using case-based discussions, focused on practical application. The structure of the workshop is flexible and can be adapted to different environments based on their institutional resources and allotted time.   Evaluation mechanisms need to explore more than satisfaction to understand the impact on learners and their practice.