Experiential Communications Curriculum to Improve Resident Preparedness When Responding to Discriminatory Comments in the Workplace

March, Christine; Walker, Lorne W.; Toto, Regina L.; Choi, Sylvia; Reis, Evelyn Cohen; Dewar, Stephanie

doi:10.4300/jgme-d-17-00913.1

Cited by 16 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“… 6 Although they are trained to obtain informed consent and deliver bad news, 7 residents who experience sexual harassment from a patient are often unprepared to respond. 8 They may find themselves in fight-or-flight mode 9 and default to ignoring the harassment behavior or nervously laughing it off, despite a desire to address it. We encourage all trainees to report instances of severe or pervasive sexual harassment to their appropriate program and institutional resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike the ERASE model 10 and the module on microaggressions by Sandoval and colleagues, 5 this workshop limits its focus to gender-based harassment, though its communication tools are applicable to other forms of identity-based discrimination. We emphasize gender-based discrimination and harassment because they are the most common type experienced by resident physicians 8 and the workshop was developed to address resident needs at our institution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Tools for Responding to Patient-Initiated Verbal Sexual Harassment: A Workshop for Trainees and Faculty

Hock

Barlow

Scruggs³

et al. 2021

MedEdPORTAL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Patients are the most common source of gender-based harassment of resident physicians, yet residents receive little training on how to handle it. Few resources exist for residents wishing to address patient-initiated verbal sexual harassment themselves. Methods: We developed, taught, and evaluated a 50-minute workshop to prepare residents and faculty to respond to patient-initiated verbal sexual harassment toward themselves and others. The workshop used an interactive lecture and role-play scenarios to teach a tool kit of communication strategies for responding to harassment. Participants completed retrospective pre-post surveys on their ability to meet the learning objectives and their preparedness to respond. Results: Ninety-one participants (57 trainees, 34 faculty) completed surveys at one of five workshop sessions across multiple departments. Before the workshop, two-thirds (67%) had experienced patient-initiated sexual harassment, and only 28 out of 59 (48%) had ever addressed it. Seventy-five percent of participants had never received training on responding to patient-initiated sexual harassment. After the workshop, participants reported significant improvement in their preparedness to recognize and respond to all forms of patient-initiated verbal sexual harassment (p < .01), with the greatest improvements noted in responding to mild forms of verbal sexual harassment, such as comments on appearance or attractiveness or inappropriate jokes (p < .01). Discussion: This workshop fills a void by preparing residents and faculty to respond to verbal sexual harassment from patients that is not directly observed. Role-play and rehearsal of an individualized response script significantly improved participants' preparedness to respond to harassment toward themselves and others.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tools for Responding to Patient-Initiated Verbal Sexual Harassment: A Workshop for Trainees and Faculty

Hock

Barlow

Scruggs³

et al. 2021

MedEdPORTAL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…4 These encounters primarily centered on visibly apparent characteristics related to gender, ethnicity, national origin, race, and religion. [1][2][3][4] These studies lend evidence to the claim that physicians frequently experience bias from patients and patient families.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…2 March and colleagues surveyed pediatric residents about the prevalence of discriminatory comments in the workplace as part of a curricular activity to teach communication skills, and 56% of the residents reported experiencing discrimination from patient families. 3 Hu and colleagues completed a national cross-sectional survey of general surgery residents linking high rates of discrimination and abuse to burnout and suicidal thoughts. 4 These encounters primarily centered on visibly apparent characteristics related to gender, ethnicity, national origin, race, and religion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Forum Theater as a Teaching Tool to Combat Patient Bias Directed Toward Health Care Professionals

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Health care professionals who identify as members of underrepresented and racial minority groups may experience bias from patients and patient families. These occurrences disrupt the educational and therapeutic environments, distress the targeted individuals and allies, and create potential legal liability. Yet there are few educational opportunities for individuals to brainstorm and implement strategies for responding professionally during such instances. Methods: Presented first as a grand rounds, then an invited workshop, and finally an invited series, this educational activity was developed in a stepwise manner over the course of a year. Each format was sequentially modified based on feedback from participants-more than 200 physicians and other health care professionals-using evaluation forms that were voluntary and anonymous. The educational activity used an adaptation of forum theater, in which participants role-played an instance of oppression with a goal of altering the ultimate outcome. This approach provided participants with the opportunity to develop and rehearse responses to workplace bias in a way that preserved the provider-patient relationship. Results: Feedback for these educational sessions was overwhelmingly positive. Participants noted the importance of acknowledging and addressing bias in the workplace and encouraged facilitators to expand the sessions in length, frequency, and scope. Discussion: Forum theater is a methodology that can be employed in health care to teach appropriate and authentic responses to expressed patient bias while maintaining the therapeutic relationship. The positive reception from participants in our preliminary sessions established a strong foundation for future improvements to this work.

show abstract

“…Several useful approaches to deal with microaggressions and racism in the medical workplace have been put forth. 1,[16][17][18][19][20] These studies predominantly focused on learners, rather than supervisors. The closest exception was a qualitative study in which medical students identi ed ideal responses by their supervisors to microaggressions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Responding to anti-Black racism: an empirical appraisal of supervisors’ behaviors using simulated encounters

Calhoun

Martin

Adigun

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Racist interactions in clinical practice remain a pervasive reality for Black healthcare providers. Objective We sought to provide supervisors with guidance to inform their actions when confronting racism in daily clinical practice. Methods We conducted in 2021 an empirical study in which experienced supervisors responded to seven short, videotaped interactions between 1) a simulated participant (SP) and different clinicians-in-training; 2) the trainees and their respective supervisors; and 3) the trainees and their supervisors together with the SP. The clinical exchanges exemplified different types of racist (entrenching)or antiracist (uprooting) behaviors. After viewing each clip, participants wrote their reflections confidentially before joining together for a structured debriefing. For our qualitative approach to the data we used thematic analysis. Results Based on the input of 52 participants recruited into five two-hour-long sessions, we categorized the behaviors of supervisors facing anti-Black racial injuries involving learners under their oversight. We organized supervisor behaviors into five interlocking domains, each with a range of possible responses: 1) Gradation: from conciliatory to confrontational; 2) Explicitness: from avoiding to naming; 3) Ownership: from individual to shared; 4) Involvement: from excusing to including; and 5) Stance: from protective to paternalistic. Conclusions Our qualitative findings provide a rubric for supervisors to engage in reflective practice and for medical educators to inform faculty development to fight anti-Black racism in clinical practice. In addition, they can serve as a framework for facilitated discussion among healthcare providers who may have experienced or witnessed anti-Black racist interactions.

show abstract

Experiential Communications Curriculum to Improve Resident Preparedness When Responding to Discriminatory Comments in the Workplace

Abstract: Immediately after participating in simulation, pediatrics residents reported a significant improvement in self-reported readiness to respond to discriminatory comments made by a parent and reported the simulation experience was beneficial.

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Tools for Responding to Patient-Initiated Verbal Sexual Harassment: A Workshop for Trainees and Faculty

Tools for Responding to Patient-Initiated Verbal Sexual Harassment: A Workshop for Trainees and Faculty

Using Forum Theater as a Teaching Tool to Combat Patient Bias Directed Toward Health Care Professionals

Responding to anti-Black racism: an empirical appraisal of supervisors’ behaviors using simulated encounters

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About