The Incorporation of a Case-Based Health Equity Curriculum Into M&M Conference
Abstract
Learning Objectives: To deliver evidence-based health equity education in resident and faculty conference using case-based content to highlight examples of inequity in emergency medicine practice.Background: While GME requires formal education on health disparities, there is a lack of standardized education in emergency medicine (EM) residency curricula on these topics. Educational Objectives: 1. To evaluate health disparities in an evidence-based manner using anonymized ED-specific case examples 2. To increase structural competency regarding the systems that perpetuate these disparities 3. To equip EM providers with actionable steps to mitigate these disparities 4. To develop a curriculum that can be replicated by other programs. Curricular Design: The Health Equity Curriculum (HEC) was developed using Kern’s curricular design framework. A consensus group of residents and faculty members met over 4 months to identify curriculum gaps. Patient and provider-centered topics were identified through informal needs assessment of the trainees with the plan to deliver them over two years. To maximize reach, the 30-minute HEC lectures were integrated into the monthly morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference stressing how healthcare disparities lead to measurable adverse outcomes. This approach was modeled after a surgical M&M series at the University of Michigan with proven success. Interested residents prepared lectures for each topic using a standard format. Faculty experts were recruited to mentor each resident. The concept was introduced at faculty meetings and residency conference with the support of departmental and residency leadership. Monthly lectures were launched in February 2021, with topics presented in a stepwise fashion to allow each lecture to build upon previous ones. Feedback was collected after 6 months via anonymous surveys sent by email. Impact/Effectiveness: Our HEC contributes to GME by providing an evidence-based series of lectures generalizable to all EDs. Our 6-month survey respondents expressed an overall satisfaction with the curriculum in increasing their understanding of health disparities.