Open Access
Open access
AIMS Medical Science, volume 11, issue 2, pages 170-180

Moving the needle forward in health disparities: An education initiative

Swapna B. Reddy 1
, 
Matthew J Speer 1
, 
Jessica Todsen 2
, 
Subhakar Mutyala 3
, 
Niloy Jewel L Samadder 4
, 
Giovanna GG Moreno 4
, 
Yerronda L Lewis 4
, 
Farhia M Omar 4
, 
Shambhavi Mishra 1
, 
Sarah B Umar 4
Show full list: 10 authors
1
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
Department of Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, USA | 
Publication type: Journal Article
Publication date: 2024-06-25
wos Q4
SJR: —
CiteScore: —
Impact factor: 0.4
ISSN: 23751576, 2375155X
Abstract
<sec><b>Objective</b>This paper sought to evaluate the impact of a year-long Health Equity Curriculum (HEC) on the knowledge of health disparities, cross-cultural humility, and empathy among physicians, trainees, and research staff.</sec><sec><b>Background</b>There has been an increase in the inclusion of equity, cultural humility, and the social determinants of health into medical education at various levels. However, the frequency of this education is low and not well quantified or defined. The authors report the results of an education program, namely the HEC, on the knowledge of health disparities, cross-cultural humility, and empathy.</sec><sec><b>Materials and methods</b>The HEC was delivered between March 2020 and May 2021. It included the following four modules: the social determinants of health, cultural humility, health literacy, and unconscious bias. The participants attended lectures and reviewed articles/videos using online modules and reflection assignments. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) and the Cross-Cultural Competence Instrument for Health Care Professionals (CCCHP) were administered pre- and post-HEC. The results were statistically analyzed.</sec><sec><b>Results</b>Of the 102 enrolled participants, 46 completed the entire course. The JSE showed a statistically significant improvement in the empathy scores from pre-HEC to post-HEC (p &lt; 0.01). The CCCHP showed a significant improvement from pre-HEC to post-HEC total scores and in subcomponent scores of Motivation/Curiosity, Attitude, and Knowledge (p &lt; 0.05). There were no significant differences in scores for the Skills and Emotions/Empathy subcomponents.</sec><sec><b>Conclusions</b>Enrollment and completion in the HEC were associated with statistically significant improvements in the validated measures of cultural competence and empathy. Scaling this type of content and curriculum can educate professionals on equity and serving diverse communities. A further study is warranted.</sec>

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