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Introduction: Clinician implicit racial bias (IB) may lead to lower quality care and adverse health outcomes for Black patients. Educational efforts to train clinicians to mitigate IB vary widely and have insufficient evidence of impact. We developed and pilot-tested an evidence-based clinician IB curriculum, "REACHing Equity." Methods: To assess acceptability and feasibility, we conducted an uncontrolled one-arm pilot trial with post-intervention assessments. REACHing Equity is designed for clinicians to: (1) acquire knowledge about IB and its impact on healthcare, (2) increase awareness of one's own capacity for IB, and (3) develop skills to mitigate IB in the clinical encounter. We delivered REACHing Equity virtually in three facilitated, interactive sessions over 7-9 weeks. Participants were health care providers who completed baseline and end-of-study evaluation surveys. Results: Of approximately 1,592 clinicians invited, 37 participated, of whom 29 self-identified as women and 24 as non-Hispanic White. Attendance averaged 90% per session; 78% attended all 3 sessions. Response rate for evaluation surveys was 67%. Most respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the curriculum objectives were met, and that REACHing Equity equipped them to mitigate the impact of implicit bias in clinical care. Participants consistently reported higher self-efficacy for mitigating IB after compared to before completing the curriculum. Conclusions: Despite apparent barriers to clinician participation, we demonstrated feasibility and acceptability of the REACHing Equity intervention. Further research is needed to develop objective measures of uptake and clinician skill, test the impact of REACHing Equity on clinically relevant outcomes, and refine the curriculum for uptake and dissemination.ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03415308.
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BACKGROUND: Patients with high body weight are persistently stigmatized in medical settings, with studies demonstrating that providers endorse negative stereotypes of, and have lower regard for, higher-weight patients. Very little is known about how this weight bias varies across specialties. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine how explicit weight bias varies between resident providers among sixteen of the largest residency specialties in the USA. The identification of these differences will guide the prioritization and targeting of interventions. DESIGN: The current study utilized cross-sectional, observational data. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-nine allopathic medical schools were recruited to participate in this national, longitudinal study. The current study utilized data from 3267 trainees in Year 2 of Residency among those who specialized in one of the most common sixteen residency programs in 2016. MAIN MEASURES: Participants reported demographic information and residency specialties and completed three sets of measures pertaining to explicit weight bias. KEY RESULTS: A significant minority (13-48%) of residents reported slight-to-strong agreement with each anti-fat statement. There was a significant relationship between residency specialty and anti-fat blame (F(15, 3189 = 12.87, p < .001), η2 = .06), anti-fat dislike (F(15, 3189 = 7.01, p < .001), η2 = .03), and attitudes towards obese patients (F(15, 3208 = 17.78, p < .001), η2 = .08). Primary care residents (e.g., family medicine, pediatrics) consistently reported lower levels of weight bias than those in specialty programs (e.g., orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to report on weight bias in a large, heterogeneous sample of US resident physicians. Problematic levels of weight bias were found in all specialties, with residents in specialty programs generally reporting more bias than those in primary care residencies. Future research should examine which factors contribute to these differences to guide intervention.
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Internship and Residency , Physicians , Weight Prejudice , Child , Humans , Cross-Sectional Studies , Longitudinal Studies , Obesity , OverweightSubject(s)
Bias, Implicit , Students, Medical , Humans , Nursing Education Research , Curriculum , TeachingABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine the experience of interracial anxiety among health professionals and how it may affect the quality of their interactions with patients from racially marginalized populations. We explored the influence of prior interracial exposure-specifically through childhood neighborhoods, college student bodies, and friend groups-on interracial anxiety among medical students and residents. We also examined whether levels of interracial anxiety change from medical school through residency. DATA SOURCE: Web-based longitudinal survey data from the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation Study. STUDY DESIGN: We used a retrospective longitudinal design with four observations for each trainee. The study population consisted of non-Black US medical trainees surveyed in their 1st and 4th years of medical school and 2nd and 3rd years of residency. Mixed effects longitudinal models were used to assess predictors of interracial anxiety and assess changes in interracial anxiety scores over time. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In total, 3155 non-Black medical trainees were followed for 7 years. Seventy-eight percent grew up in predominantly White neighborhoods. Living in predominantly White neighborhoods and having less racially diverse friends were associated with higher levels of interracial anxiety among medical trainees. Trainees' interracial anxiety scores did not substantially change over time; interracial anxiety was highest in the 1st year of medical school, lowest in the 4th year, and increased slightly during residency. CONCLUSIONS: Neighborhood and friend group composition had independent effects on interracial anxiety, indicating that premedical racial socialization may affect medical trainees' preparedness to interact effectively with diverse patient populations. Additionally, the lack of substantial change in interracial anxiety throughout medical training suggests the importance of providing curricular tools and structure (e.g., instituting interracial cooperative learning activities) to foster the development of healthy interracial relationships.
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Internship and Residency , Students, Medical , Humans , Child , Friends , Students, Medical/psychology , Retrospective Studies , Racial Groups , Anxiety/epidemiologyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Stigma related to mental health is well documented and a major barrier to using mental and physical health care. Integrated behavioral health (IBH) in primary care, in which behavioral/mental health care services are located within a primary care setting, may reduce the experience of stigma. The purpose of this study was to assess the opinions of patients and health care professionals about mental illness stigma as a barrier to engagement with IBH and to gain insight into strategies to reduce stigma, encourage discussion of mental health, and increase uptake of IBH care. METHODS: We conducted semistructured interviews with 16 patients referred to IBH in a prior year and 15 health care professionals (12 primary care physicians and 3 psychologists). Interviews were transcribed and inductively coded separately by 2 coders for common themes and subthemes under the topic headings of barriers, facilitators, and recommendations. RESULTS: We identified 10 converging themes from interviews with patients and the health care professionals, representing important complementary perspectives, with respect to barriers, facilitators, and recommendations. Barriers included professionals, families, and the public as sources of stigma, as well as self-stigma or avoidance, or internalizing negative stereotypes. Facilitators and recommendations included normalizing discussion of mental health and mental health care-seeking action, using patient-centered and empathetic communication strategies, sharing by health care professionals of their own experiences, and tailoring the discussion of mental health to patients' preferred understanding. CONCLUSIONS: Health care professionals can help reduce perceptions of stigma by having conversations with patients that normalize mental health discussion, use patient-centered communication, promote professional self-disclosure, and are tailored to patients' preferred understanding.
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Mental Health Services , Psychiatry , Humans , Social Stigma , Mental Health , Health PersonnelABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between learning environment culture and the subsequent risk of developing burnout in a national sample of residents overall and by gender. METHODS: From April 7 to August 2, 2016, and May 26 to August 5, 2017, we surveyed residents in their second (R2) and third (R3) postgraduate year. The survey included a negative interpersonal experiences scale (score range 1 to 7 points, higher being worse) assessing psychological safety and bias, inclusion, respect, and justice; an unfair treatment scale (score range 1 to 5 points, higher being worse), and two items from the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Individual responses to the R2 and R3 surveys were linked. RESULTS: The R2 survey was completed by 3588 of 4696 (76.4%) residents; 3058 of 3726 (82.1%) residents completed the R3 survey; and 2888 residents completed both surveys. Women reported more negative interpersonal experiences (mean [SD], 3.00 [0.83] vs 2.90 [0.85], P<.001) and unfair treatment (66.5% vs. 58.7%, P<.001) than men at R2. On multivariable analysis, women at R3 were more likely than their male counterparts to have burnout (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.48; P=.03). Both men and women who reported more negative interpersonal experiences at R2 were more likely to have burnout at R3 (odds ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.52; P<.001). The factors contributing to burnout did not vary in effect magnitude by gender. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate women residents are more likely to have burnout relative to men in the third year of residency. Negative culture predicted subsequent burnout 1 year later among both men and women. Differences in burnout were at least partly due to differing levels of exposure to negative interactions for men versus women rather than a negative interaction having a differential impact on the well-being of men versus women.
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Burnout, Professional/epidemiology , Education, Medical , Internship and Residency , Students, Medical/psychology , Adult , Burnout, Professional/psychology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Incidence , Male , Retrospective Studies , Sex Distribution , Sex Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Patients with obesity may experience less patient-centered care. We assessed whether medical students' implicit/explicit weight-related attitudes and perceptions of normative attitudes are associated with patient-centered care for patients with obesity. METHODS: Third and fourth year medical students (N = 111) at one medical school completed a survey and participated in a patient care scenario with a standardized patient with obesity. Encounters were coded for patient-centered behavior. Predictors of patient-centered behaviors were assessed. RESULTS: Student perceptions that negative attitudes about patients with obesity are normative in medical school were significantly associated with poorer patient-centered behaviors, including lower attentiveness (b=-0.19, p = 0.01), friendliness (b=-0.28, p < 0.001), responsiveness (b=-0.21, p = 0.002), respectfulness (b=-0.17, p = 0.003), interactivity (b=-0.22, p = 0.003), likelihood of being recommended by observers (b=-0.34, p < 0.001), and patient-centeredness index scores (b=-0.16, p = 0.002). Student reported faculty role-modeling of discrimination against patients with obesity predicted lower friendliness (b=-0.16, p = 0.03), recommendation likelihood (b=-0.22, p = 0.04), and patient-centeredness index score (b=-0.12, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Negative normative attitudes and behaviors regarding obesity in the medical school environment may adversely influence the quality of patient-centered behaviors provided to patients with obesity. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Efforts to improve patient-centered communication quality among medical trainees may benefit from intervention to improve group normative attitudes about patients with obesity.
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Students, Medical , Attitude of Health Personnel , Communication , Humans , Overweight , Patient-Centered Care , Schools, MedicalABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits (perfectionism and neuroticism) and the traumatic outcomes of reexperiencing, avoidance, and alcohol abuse severity of registered nurses (RNs) who have been involved with a patient safety incident (PSI). We hypothesized that higher scores for perfectionism and neuroticism would predict higher reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms in RNs in the aftermath of a PSI. Also, RNs with higher perfectionism and neuroticism sum scores would be more likely to abuse alcohol. METHODS: A descriptive, correlational study design was used to characterize the relationships of personality traits and potential traumatic outcomes of RNs in the aftermath of a PSI. The Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, Neuroticism Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption measures were administered to RNs licensed in Oregon and New York. RESULTS: Perfectionist-discrepancy personality traits (P < 0.01) were the strongest predictors for reexperiencing symptoms and neuroticism (P < 0.05) was the strongest predictor for avoidance symptoms, when controlling for sociodemographics and experience. We found a negative linear relationship between perfectionism-order and alcohol abuse severity (ß = -0.15, P < 0.01; confidence interval, -0.24 to 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between perfectionism-discrepancy and reexperiencing as well as between neuroticism and reexperiencing and avoidance, each explaining 4% of variance of their model. The results add to the nurse second victim literature by validating 2 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in RNs in the aftermath of a PSI. Registered nurses with perfectionism-order were less likely to abuse alcohol.
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Alcoholism , Nurses , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Humans , Neuroticism , Patient Safety , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/diagnosis , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/etiologyABSTRACT
Purpose: The pervasiveness of sexual minority stressors in the U.S. medical training environment is well documented, yet little is known about the mental health impact of such stressors on sexual minority medical residents. We compared depression and anxiety symptoms between sexual minority and heterosexual third-year medical residents, adjusting for depression and anxiety before residency, and examined the role of perceived residency belonging during the second year of residency as a predictor of subsequent sexual identity-based differences in depression and anxiety. Methods: In 2010-2011, first-year medical students enrolled in the Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation Study and completed surveys in the last year of medical school (MS4; 2014), as well as second (R2; 2016) and third (R3; 2017) year of residency. The surveys contained measures of sexual identity, residency belonging, depression, and anxiety. Results: Of the 2890 residents who provided information about their sexual identity, 291 (10.07%) identified as sexual minority individuals. Sexual minority residents reported significantly higher levels of depression (p = 0.009) and anxiety (p = 0.021) than their heterosexual peers at R3, even after adjusting for depression and anxiety at MS4. Sexual minority residents also reported a lower sense of belonging at R2 than did heterosexual residents (p = 0.006), which was in turn associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety at R3 (ps < 0.001). Conclusion: Sexual minority residents experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety than their heterosexual counterparts, and these mental health disparities were associated with lower perceived belonging in residency. Residency programs should prioritize evidence-based, targeted interventions for sexual minority mental health.
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Anxiety/epidemiology , Depression/epidemiology , Health Status Disparities , Heterosexuality/psychology , Internship and Residency , Sexual and Gender Minorities/psychology , Students, Medical/psychology , Female , Heterosexuality/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Sexual and Gender Minorities/statistics & numerical data , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Students, Medical/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Teaching medical students patient-centered approaches to weight loss counseling occurs in myriad ways. We examined lectures and direct faculty observation to see which was associated with better patient-centered care in medical students, measured by both self-perception and independent observer evaluation. METHODS: Third- and fourth-year students attending one medical school were surveyed regarding their education in (1) weight loss and health behavior counseling, (2) obesity stigma, and (3) whether they had experienced direct faculty observation of their weight loss counseling. Several weeks later, the students were observed during a standardized patient encounter for obesity and an obesity-relevant comorbidity. A postencounter survey assessed overall student satisfaction with the encounter and with the care they provided. Independent coders rated their patient-centered communication using a validated measure. RESULTS: There was no consistent association between any dependent variable and student ratings of adequacy of instruction, nor with instructional content. Direct faculty observation was not associated with overall encounter satisfaction or their overall patient-centeredness. However, experiences with direct faculty observation were significantly and positively associated with students' perceptions of patient engagement (b=0.1, P=.05), and with independent coders' ratings of student friendliness (b=0.13, P=.01), responsiveness (b=0.113, P=.03), and lower student anxiety (b=-0.1, P=.01). CONCLUSIONS: Independent observation and self-report of instruction adequacy and content had no consistent association with care quality. However, direct faculty observation predicted improvement in both student self-reports and independent observer ratings of students' interpersonal quality of care. Further work is needed to define optimal methods of imparting patient-centered care.
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Students, Medical , Communication , Humans , Obesity/therapy , Patient-Centered Care , Schools, MedicalABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To date, there has been no published work towards understanding or classifying patient safety incidents (PSIs) or their aftermath as potential morally injurious experiences (pMIEs). A morally injurious experience is one that violates deeply held moral values and beliefs, and can put an individual at risk for burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other trauma-related problems. This can also set the stage for moral injury, which can occur when there has been a betrayal of what is right by someone in a position of legitimate authority, or by one's self, in a high-stakes situation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review of nurse second victim literature is to describe symptoms of moral injury empirically observed in nurses in the aftermath of a PSI. METHODS: A critical review using a SALSA (search, appraisal, synthesis, analysis) method commenced with a search of electronic data base-indexed original evidence between 1980 and December 2018, focusing on registered nurses involved with a PSI. RESULTS: The nurse empirical literature reviewed included qualitative (n = 10), quantitative (n = 7), and mixed-methods (n = 4) studies (total n = 21). Core moral injury symptoms included guilt (67%), shame (71%), spiritual-existential crisis (9%), and loss of trust (52%). Secondary symptoms of moral injury included depression (33%), anxiety (57%), anger (71%), self-harm, (19%), and social problems (48%). IMPLICATIONS: Moral injury better describes what historically has been called the nurse second victim phenomenon. Through identification of pMIEs and symptoms of moral injury, nurses and organizations can be empowered to advance training and intervention programs addressing pMIEs that affect nurses' safety and retention in the aftermath of a PSI. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: By describing the experiences associated with a PSI as potentially morally injurious, we set the stage to describe the potential consequences associated with the aftermath of the PSI. Furthermore, this language avoids victimizing those involved by more accurately reflecting the pMIEs of the aftermath.
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Nurses/psychology , Patient Safety , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology , HumansABSTRACT
Although scholars have long studied circumstances that shape prejudice, inquiry into factors associated with long-term prejudice reduction has been more limited. Using a 6-year longitudinal study of non-Black physicians in training (N = 3,134), we examined the effect of three medical-school factors-interracial contact, medical-school environment, and diversity training-on explicit and implicit racial bias measured during medical residency. When accounting for all three factors, previous contact, and baseline bias, we found that quality of contact continued to predict lower explicit and implicit bias, although the effects were very small. Racial climate, modeling of bias, and hours of diversity training in medical school were not consistently related to less explicit or implicit bias during residency. These results highlight the benefits of interracial contact during an impactful experience such as medical school. Ultimately, professional institutions can play a role in reducing anti-Black bias by encouraging more frequent, and especially more favorable, interracial contact.
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Education, Medical, Graduate/methods , Prejudice/prevention & control , Racism/prevention & control , Students, Medical/psychology , Black or African American/psychology , Curriculum , Female , Healthcare Disparities/ethnology , Healthcare Disparities/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Internship and Residency , Interprofessional Relations , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Physician-Patient Relations , Prejudice/psychology , Racism/psychology , Regression Analysis , Schools, Medical , Socioeconomic Factors , United StatesABSTRACT
RATIONALE: Physician bias against sexual minorities can hinder the delivery of high-quality health care and thus contribute to the disproportionate prevalence of negative health outcomes within this population. Medical students' interpersonal experiences within the context of medical school may contribute to this bias. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the current research was to examine the relationship between these interpersonal experiences, reported by heterosexual, cisgender medical students, and explicit and implicit bias against lesbians and gay individuals, reported two years later during second year of medical residency. METHOD: Data were collected by surveying students (nâ¯=â¯2940) from a stratified sample of U.S. medical schools in fall 2010 (first semester of medical school), spring 2014 (final semester of medical school), and spring 2016 (second year of medical residency). RESULTS: Amount and favorability of contact with LGBT individuals, reported during the final semester of medical school, predicted lower levels of explicit bias against lesbian and gay individuals during second year of medical residency. Additionally, exposure to negative role modeling, also reported during the final semester of medical school, predicted higher levels of explicit bias against lesbian and gay individuals during second year of medical residency. Amount of contact with LGBT individuals - and in particular, with LGBT medical students - predicted lower levels of implicit bias against lesbian and gay individuals during second year of medical residency. Neither favorability of contact with LGBT individuals nor exposure to negative role modeling predicted implicit bias against lesbian and gay individuals during second year of medical residency. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that interpersonal experiences during medical school can systematically shape heterosexual, cisgender physicians' subsequent explicit and implicit bias against lesbian and gay individuals.
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Mentors/statistics & numerical data , Physicians/psychology , Sexism/psychology , Sexual and Gender Minorities/psychology , Adult , Attitude of Health Personnel , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Physicians/statistics & numerical data , Sexual and Gender Minorities/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We aimed to better understand how similarly patients with colorectal cancer and caregivers view care quality and to assess factors that may influence concordance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of paired patient and caregiver quality ratings of colorectal cancer care in three specific domains: surgery, chemotherapy overall, and chemotherapy nursing. Agreement was assessed with difference scores, concordance with Gwet second-order agreement statistics (AC2), and variation in agreement with stratified analyses. We examined whether the care experiences of patients and caregivers were associated with top-box (most-positive) ratings and examined variations in concordance on the basis of the presence of a top-box score. RESULTS: Four hundred seventeen patient-caregiver dyads completed the surveys. Quality-of-care ratings were positively skewed, with most dyads indicating top-box ratings. Patient and caregiver care experiences were highly associated with top-box ratings. Overall patient-caregiver concordance was very high for all three care domains (surgery: AC2, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.83 to 0.90]; chemotherapy overall: AC2, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.79 to 0.88]; chemotherapy nursing: AC2, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.87 to 0.94]). Stratified analyses of patient and caregiver characteristics did not identify any patterns that consistently affected concordance. The concordance statistic significantly decreased for all three outcomes (P < .001), however, when the patient or caregiver assessed quality as anything other than top box. CONCLUSION: Caregiver and patient reports on care quality were highly concordant for top-box care and did not vary with patient or caregiver factors. Additional exploration is needed to identify reasons for increased variability when the quality scores were less than a top-box response.
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Caregivers/standards , Colorectal Neoplasms/therapy , Observer Variation , Outcome Assessment, Health Care/methods , Quality of Health Care/statistics & numerical data , Quality of Life , Self Report , Aged , Caregivers/psychology , Colorectal Neoplasms/psychology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Importance: Burnout, a syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of efficacy, is common among resident physicians, and negative emotional states may increase the expression of prejudices, which are associated with racial disparities in health care. Whether racial bias varies by symptoms of burnout among resident physicians is unknown. Objective: To assess the association between burnout and explicit and implicit racial biases toward black people in resident physicians. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study obtained data from surveys completed by first-year medical students and resident physicians in the United States as part of the Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation Study. Participants were followed up from enrollment in 2010 to 2011 through 2017. Participants completed questionnaires at year 4 of medical school as well as at the second and third years of residency. Only data from resident physicians who self-identified as belonging to a racial group other than black (n = 3392) were included in the analyses because of scarce evidence of racial bias in the care provided to black patients by black physicians. Resident physicians training in radiology or pathology were excluded because they provided less direct patient interaction. Main Outcomes and Measures: Burnout symptoms were measured by 2 single-item measures from the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Explicit attitudes about white and black people were measured by a feeling thermometer (FT, from 0 to 100 points, ranging from very cold or unfavorable [lowest score] to very warm or favorable [highest score]; included in the second-year [R2] and third-year [R3] questionnaires). The R2 Questionnaire included a racial Implicit Association Test (IAT; range: -2 to 2). Results: Among the 3392 nonblack resident physician respondents, 1693 (49.9%) were male, 1964 (57.9%) were younger than 30 years, and 2362 (69.6%) self-identified as belonging to the white race. In this cohort, 1529 of 3380 resident physicians (45.2%) had symptoms of burnout and 1394 of 3377 resident physicians (41.3%) had depression. From this group, 12 did not complete the burnout items and 15 did not complete the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) items. The mean (SD) FT score toward black people was 77.9 (21.0) and toward white people was 81.1 (20.1), and the mean (SD) racial IAT score was 0.4 (0.4). Burnout at the R2 Questionnaire time point was associated with greater explicit and implicit racial biases. In multivariable analyses adjusting for demographics, specialty, depression, and FT scores toward white people, resident physicians with burnout had greater explicit racial bias (difference in FT score, -2.40; 95% CI, -3.42 to -1.37; P < .001) and implicit racial bias (difference in IAT score, 0.05; 95% CI, 0.02-0.08; P = .002). A dose-response association was found between change in depersonalization from R2 to R3 Questionnaire and R3 Questionnaire explicit bias (for each 1-point increase the difference in R3 FT score decreased, -0.73; 95% CI, -1.23 to -0.23; P = .004) and change in explicit bias. Conclusions and Relevance: Among resident physicians, symptoms of burnout appeared to be associated with greater explicit and implicit racial biases; given the high prevalence of burnout and the negative implications of bias for medical care, symptoms of burnout may be factors in racial disparities in health care.
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Burnout, Professional/ethnology , Internship and Residency/statistics & numerical data , Physicians/psychology , Racism/psychology , Students, Medical/psychology , Adult , Black or African American/psychology , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Surveys and Questionnaires , United States , White People/psychologyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between manifestations of racism in medical school and subsequent changes in graduating medical students' intentions to practice in underserved or minority communities, compared with their attitudes and intentions at matriculation. METHOD: The authors used repeated-measures data from a longitudinal study of 3,756 students at 49 U.S. medical schools that were collected from 2010 to 2014. They conducted generalized linear mixed models to estimate whether manifestations of racism in school curricula/policies, school culture/climate, or student attitudes/behaviors predicted first- to fourth-year changes in students' intentions to practice in underserved communities or primarily with minority populations. Analyses were stratified by students' practice intentions (no/undecided/yes) at matriculation. RESULTS: Students' more negative explicit racial attitudes were associated with decreased intention to practice with underserved or minority populations at graduation. Service learning experiences and a curriculum focused on improving minority health were associated with increased intention to practice in underserved communities. A curriculum focused on minority health/disparities, students' perceived skill at developing relationships with minority patients, the proportion of minority students at the school, and the perception of a tense interracial environment were all associated with increased intention to care for minority patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that racism manifested at multiple levels in medical schools was associated with graduating students' decisions to provide care in high-need communities. Strategies to identify and eliminate structural racism and its manifestations in medical school are needed.
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Attitude of Health Personnel , Career Choice , Education, Medical/methods , Racism/psychology , Students, Medical/psychology , Adult , Curriculum , Female , Humans , Intention , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Medically Underserved Area , Problem-Based Learning , Professional Practice Location , United StatesABSTRACT
The "NCI Grant No. 5R25CA116339, Outcomes Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health" is not included in the Funding information. The below is the correct "Funding/Support".
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PURPOSE: To determine baseline individual and school-related factors associated with increased risk of developing depression symptoms by year four (Y4) of medical school, and to develop a prognostic index that stratifies risk of developing depression symptoms (Depression-PI) among medical students. METHOD: The authors analyzed data from 3,743 students (79% of 4,732) attending 49 U.S. medical schools who completed baseline (2010) and Y4 (2014) surveys. Surveys included validated scales measuring depression, stress, coping, and social support. The authors collected demographics and school characteristics and conducted multivariate analysis to identify baseline factors independently associated with Y4 depression symptoms. They used these factors to create a prognostic index for developing depression. They randomly divided the data into discovery (n = 2,455) and replication (n = 1,288) datasets and calculated c statistics (c). RESULTS: The authors identified eight independent prognostic factors for experiencing depression symptoms during training within the discovery dataset: age; race; ethnicity; tuition; and baseline depression symptoms, stress, coping behaviors, and social support. The Depression-PI stratified four risk groups. Compared with the low risk group, those in the intermediate, high, and very high risk groups had an odds ratio of developing depression of, respectively, 1.75, 3.98, and 9.19 (c = 0.71). The replication dataset confirmed the risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: Demographics; tuition; and baseline depression symptoms, stress, coping behaviors, and social support are independently associated with risk of developing depression during training among U.S. medical students. By stratifying students into four risk groups, the Depression-PI may allow for a tiered primary prevention approach.
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Depression/epidemiology , Students, Medical/psychology , Adaptation, Psychological , Depression/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Prognosis , Risk Factors , Social Support , Surveys and Questionnaires , United States , Young AdultABSTRACT
Importance: Burnout among physicians is common and has been associated with medical errors and lapses in professionalism. It is unknown whether rates for symptoms of burnout among resident physicians vary by clinical specialty and if individual factors measured during medical school relate to the risk of burnout and career choice regret during residency. Objective: To explore factors associated with symptoms of burnout and career choice regret during residency. Design, Setting, and Participants: Prospective cohort study of 4732 US resident physicians. First-year medical students were enrolled between October 2010 and January 2011 and completed the baseline questionnaire. Participants were invited to respond to 2 questionnaires; one during year 4 of medical school (January-March 2014) and the other during the second year of residency (spring of 2016). The last follow-up was on July 31, 2016. Exposures: Clinical specialty, demographic characteristics, educational debt, US Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 score, and reported levels of anxiety, empathy, and social support during medical school. Main Outcomes and Measures: Prevalence during second year of residency of reported symptoms of burnout measured by 2 single-item measures (adapted from the Maslach Burnout Inventory) and an additional item that evaluated career choice regret (defined as whether, if able to revisit career choice, the resident would choose to become a physician again). Results: Among 4696 resident physicians, 3588 (76.4%) completed the questionnaire during the second year of residency (median age, 29 [interquartile range, 28.0-31.0] years in 2016; 1822 [50.9%] were women). Symptoms of burnout were reported by 1615 of 3574 resident physicians (45.2%; 95% CI, 43.6% to 46.8%). Career choice regret was reported by 502 of 3571 resident physicians (14.1%; 95% CI, 12.9% to 15.2%). In a multivariable analysis, training in urology, neurology, emergency medicine, and general surgery were associated with higher relative risks (RRs) of reported symptoms of burnout (range of RRs, 1.24 to 1.48) relative to training in internal medicine. Characteristics associated with higher risk of reported symptoms of burnout included female sex (RR, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.07 to 1.28]; risk difference [RD], 7.2% [95% CI, 3.1% to 11.3%]) and higher reported levels of anxiety during medical school (RR, 1.08 per 1-point increase [95% CI, 1.06 to 1.11]; RD, 1.8% per 1-point increase [95% CI, 1.6% to 2.0%]). A higher reported level of empathy during medical school was associated with a lower risk of reported symptoms of burnout during residency (RR, 0.99 per 1-point increase [95% CI, 0.99 to 0.99]; RD, -0.5% per 1-point increase [95% CI, -0.6% to -0.3%]). Reported symptoms of burnout (RR, 3.20 [95% CI, 2.58 to 3.82]; RD, 15.0% [95% CI, 12.8% to 17.3%]) and clinical specialty (range of RRs, 1.66 to 2.60) were both significantly associated with career choice regret. Conclusions and Relevance: Among US resident physicians, symptoms of burnout and career choice regret were prevalent, but varied substantially by clinical specialty. Further research is needed to better understand these differences and to address these issues.