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Author: Sirlin Kaur Co-author: Joanna Appel Project Title: The Impact of Racial Bias Discussions on Medical Students' Educational Experiences and Perceptions of Patient Care: A Cultural Humility Perspective
Introduction: This study examines the impact of discussions on racial bias and racial equity on medical students' personal experiences, perceptions of race in healthcare, and approaches to patient care.
Method: The study design involved semi-structured interviews with first-year medical students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine who completed a reading assignment of Dorothy Roberts' "Fatal Invention" and participated in small-group discussions during orientation. These activities provided a platform for students to engage deeply with the material and reflect on their own biases, enhancing their educational experiences and informing their future approaches to patient care.
Results: Utilizing the Cultural Humility Framework, we explore how these educational activities fostered self-reflection, awareness of power imbalances, and institutional accountability, ultimately shaping students' readiness to provide equitable and inclusive patient care. Student responses illuminated their ever-evolving perspectives on the issue of racial bias in medicine and how that affects their interactions with patients as medical students and future physicians. The impact of the study was summarized into 5 categories including personal experience with racial bias, experiences in medical school, perceptions of race and racial bias, perceptions of the impact of race on healthcare, and approach to patient care. Each category was then contextualized within the Cultural Humility framework.
Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of incorporating racial bias education into medical curricula to prepare future healthcare providers to recognize and address biases, thereby improving patient outcomes and fostering trust within minority communities. Medical students should be encouraged to engage in continuous, lifelong self-reflection to challenge their own biases and assumptions with the support of academic institutions to foster this goal and promote equity and inclusion.
