In:
Journal of Burn Care & Research, Oxford University Press (OUP), Vol. 42, No. Supplement_1 ( 2021-04-01), p. S155-S155
Abstract:
Racial and gender disparities in health care have been well described. The Association of American Medical Colleges states they are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in preparing medical trainees. Increasing attention is paid to representative diversity in the images and educational resources utilized during medical training. One recent example of this is the Instagram account, “Brown Skin Matters,” that focuses on the representation of dermatologic diseases in the skin of people of color. Nearly 40% of the population of the United States identifies as a person of color, and patients of color reflect 41% of the total burn population seen in the United States. In comparison, national data on providers suggests about 5% of the Burn Team would be people of color. As representation matters, a better understanding of the diversity represented by burn related medical literature could affect management of patients with diverse backgrounds and recruitment into this field. The goal of this study is to investigate the representation of diverse skin tones in the leading medical textbook of burn care. Methods The 5th edition of “Total Burn Care (TBC)”, 5th ed, DN Herndon editor, was reviewed from cover to cover. All photographs that contained people were evaluated for the number of people present and the depicted role of person present (i.e.: provider, patient or other). Each picture was considered as an isolated image, regardless of whether it was part of a series. Diversity count was assessed in a binary fashion - was the individual represented a person of color or not? Additional information was collected on the gender of providers present. Results 690 total individuals were identified in images in TBC. There were 3 providers of color identified in TBC images out of a total of 63(5%); 24 providers were women (38%), of whom none were women providers of color. People of color were represented in 107 of 627 non-providers shown in TBC (17%). There were 29 patients whose skin color was unable to be evaluated due to the nature of the injury, the quality of the image or the surface area of dressings visualized in the image (5%). Conclusions Both patients and providers of color are underrepresented in the leading textbook of burn care. Proper representation must be included in modern educational materials to better prepare providers for a diverse population of burn injured patients and appropriately address injury identification, wound healing properties, and scar outcomes. Diverse and proportional representation of potential outcomes needs to be a component of educational materials. to ensure effective and thoughtful care.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1559-047X
,
1559-0488
DOI:
10.1093/jbcr/irab032.255
Language:
English
Publisher:
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2071028-8
