A Small-Group Reflection Exercise for Increasing the Awareness of Cultural Stereotypes: A Facilitator's Guide

Abstract

OPEN ACCESSFebruary 25, 2009A Small-Group Reflection Exercise for Increasing the Awareness of Cultural Stereotypes: A Facilitator's Guide Christopher DeGannes, MD, FACP, Kamilah Woodson Coke, PhD, Tanya Bender Henderson, PhD, Kathy Sanders-Phillips, PhD Christopher DeGannes, MD, FACP Howard University College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Kamilah Woodson Coke, PhD Howard University School of Education Google Scholar More articles by this author , Tanya Bender Henderson, PhD Howard University School of Business Google Scholar More articles by this author , Kathy Sanders-Phillips, PhD Howard University College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.668 SectionsAbout ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail AbstractAbstract Introduction: Due to the findings that conscious and unconscious stereotypes play a contributing role in racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare, several authorities recommend cultural competence training for healthcare providers. The first step in effective cultural competence training is increasing learners' awareness of racial and ethnic disparities; the presence of unconscious personal stereotypes, biases, and assumptions; and the impact of such stereotypes on healthcare delivery. Methods: In order to address this we created this 150-minute small-group reflection exercise to increase participant's awareness of their biases. Through self- and group-reflection, participants additionally become aware of the potential influence of unconscious stereotypes on healthcare delivery. Results: This exercise was used with 114 second-year medical students in groups of 10–15 with one facilitator. After completing the exercise, 49% of students agreed and 44.7% strongly agreed (93.7% combined) that they were more aware of the influence of unconscious stereotypes and assumptions on providing effective patient care. Additionally, after completing this exercise 41.7% agreed and 49% strongly agreed (90.7% combined) that they were more aware of their own personal stereotypes and assumptions regarding groups different from themselves. Discussion: This exercise is an effective first step in any cultural competence curriculum to improve participants' awareness of unconscious stereotypes they might have about different cultural groups. Educational Objectives By the end of this session, learners will be able to: Understand unconscious cultural stereotypes.Identify potential impact of unconscious stereotypes on patient care.Increase awareness of the influence of unconscious stereotypes on medical decision-making. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: Cultural Competence Self Reflection Exercise Facilitator's Manual.pdf To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. Cited ByPerdomo J, Tolliver D, Hsu H, He Y, Nash K, Donatelli S, Mateo C, Akagbosu C, Alizadeh F, Power-Hays A, Rainer T, Zheng D, Kistin C, Vinci R and Michelson C (2019) Health Equity Rounds: An Interdisciplinary Case Conference to Address Implicit Bias and Structural Racism for Faculty and Trainees, MedEdPORTAL, 15, Online publication date: 1-Jan-2019.West T, Loomer K and Wyatt T (2019) How Diverse Is Your Universe? An Activity for Students to Reflect on Ethnoracial Diversity During Orientation, MedEdPORTAL, 15, Online publication date: 1-Jan-2019.DallaPiazza M, Padilla-Register M, Dwarakanath M, Obamedo E, Hill J and Soto-Greene M (2018) Exploring Racism and Health: An Intensive Interactive Session for Medical Students, MedEdPORTAL, 14, Online publication date: 1-Jan-2018. Copyright & Permissions© 2009 DeGannes et al. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike license.KeywordsHumanistic EnvironmentCultural GroupsRacismSelf-ReflectionHealth Equity ResearchStereotypesStereotyped Behavior Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Prior Presentations DeGannes CN, Woodson-Coke K, Henderson TB, Sanders-Phillips K. Development of a cultural competence small group reflection exercise to increase the awareness of unconscious assumptions and stereotypes amongst healthcare providers. Poster presented at: 30th Annual Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Meeting, Innovations in Medical Education; 2007; Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Loading ...