Racism in Medicine: Impact of Discussion Among Medical Students

Purpose This study evaluated the impact of the Racism in Medicine Summit on student perceptions of various topics related to racism in medicine. The Summit was organized at the Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) to educate students, faculty and staff on how structural racism affects the residents of Detroit and the historical relationship between health care and vulnerable populations. The Summit aimed at providing context for what students in Detroit will encounter as physicians-in- training and the skills they will need to master while working within similar communities. Method Qualtrics surveys were created and distributed via email to attendees before and after the event. Responses were obtained via Likert scale and open-text questions. Results A total of 342 out of 445 participants (77%) completed both the pre- and post-survey. Quantitative analysis in post-survey responses revealed more familiarity among participants regarding specific instances of racism in the history of medicine, greater extent of thinking the history of racism impacts present-day Detroit residents, greater extent of thinking that racism influences medical care and/or medical outcomes, and belief that racism is reflected in medical research, compared to pre-survey responses (p &lt; 0.001). Participants also reported more often considering racial or societal influences when learning medicine and more knowledge of what they can do to combat racism as a student and physician (p &lt; 0.001). Qualitative analysis revealed seven themes among participants: the history of racism in Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation medicine, personal reflection, racism in research, bias and microaggression, actions to take against racism, resources for anti-racist education, and racism in medical education. Conclusion Demonstrable changes in medical student attitude and awareness surrounding topics of racism and health care were achieved after the Racism in Medicine Summit. This can serve as a model for other medical schools to raise awareness about racism in medicine.研究目的：本研究评估了「医学中的种族主义」峰会（Racism in Medicine Summit）对医学生关于医学领域种族主义相关议题认知的影响。该峰会由韦恩州立大学医学院（Wayne State University School of Medicine, WSUSOM）主办，旨在向学生、教职员工科普结构性种族主义对底特律居民的影响，以及医疗保健与弱势人群之间的历史关联。峰会旨在为底特律的医学生在受训阶段将面临的临床场景提供背景信息，并传授他们在类似社区开展工作所需掌握的专业技能。 研究方法：本研究通过邮件向参会者在峰会前后分别发放了基于奎尔特拉克斯（Qualtrics）平台的调查问卷。问卷采用李克特量表（Likert scale）与开放式问题两种形式进行数据采集。 研究结果：445名参会者中共计342人（77%）完成了前后两份问卷。与预调查结果相比，后调查的定量分析显示，参会者对医学史中特定种族主义案例的熟悉程度显著提升，更认可种族主义历史对当前底特律居民的影响，更认同种族主义会影响医疗服务与诊疗结局，并相信医学研究中存在种族主义体现（p < 0.001）。此外，参会者表示在医学学习中会更频繁地考量种族或社会因素的影响，且对作为医学生与执业医师对抗种族主义的可行路径拥有更多认知（p < 0.001）。定性分析则从参会反馈中提炼出七大主题：医学中的种族主义历史、个人反思、研究中的种族主义、偏见与微冒犯、对抗种族主义的可行举措、反种族主义教育资源，以及医学教育中的种族主义。 研究结论：「医学中的种族主义」峰会后，医学生围绕种族主义与医疗保健相关议题的态度与认知均得到了显著改善。该峰会可作为其他医学院校提升医学领域种族主义认知的参考范本。