The following is a summary of “Mapping the Void: Understanding Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Training in Medicine,” published in the December 2024 issue of Surgery by Harris et al.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training is mandated for healthcare workers, but few studies examine how clinicians’ needs evolve throughout the careers or how context affects the effectiveness of training.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess how exposure to identity-based bias evolves and evaluate healthcare workers’ attitudes toward existing DEI training.
They distributed a 54-question electronic survey during Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conferences (December 2020). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze responses regarding exposure to bias, perceptions of training, and strategies to address bias (N=648, 65.6% white, 50.2% women, 70.6% practicing in academic medical centers).
The results showed that half of the respondents (320, 49.4%) reported experiencing bias at least monthly. Among people of color, the proportion reporting monthly exposure decreased with rank, with women of color experiencing the largest decrease (74% as residents/fellows down to 11% in late career). Participants felt the greatest discomfort addressing subtle bias from patients or senior individuals, and this discomfort did not uniformly improve with seniority, 478 (73.8%) respondents reported receiving DEI training, but 51.3% felt that online modules had limited utility. Key issues included focusing on individual rather than structural solutions and the need for effective response strategies.
They concluded that identity and context influence exposure to and response to bias, and existing DEI training does not effectively address these factors.
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