(0205) Assessing the Impact of a Health Equity Curriculum for Otolaryngologists

Introduction: Federal health initiatives have emphasized the need to improve healthcare access and outcomes among underserved populations nationwide. While health equity education is common among primary care and medical subspecialties, otolaryngology has lagged behind adopting these practices.

Methods: This prospective cohort study aims to assess health equity knowledge among faculty, staff, and trainees at a single otolaryngology department in North Carolina after delivery of a novel health equity education curriculum. This curriculum comprises recurring didactic lectures, journal clubs, and research training. The study employs an annual pre/post-test survey that evaluates changes in knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about health equity and agency to have impact.

Results: Out of 64 participants in the baseline survey, 22 (34%) were faculty, 22 (34%) were staff, 13 (20%) were residents, 4 (6%) were non-resident trainees. The majority believed that health inequity existed within the local otolaryngology patient population (81%) and that they exhibited biases when caring for these patients (66%). However, less than half (49%) were at least “fairly confident” in their ability to identify these inequities in the local catchment area. Only a minority of respondents had confidence (“fairly confident” or better) regarding their ability to address health inequities through education of others (31%), research (29%), or their practice (26%). Most (92%) participants agreed that they were part of a professional community that was prioritizing health equity.

Conclusions: Health equity education remains lacking in otolaryngology training and continuing education. Inevitably, participants feel ill-equipped to address these issues in their practice despite acknowledging the significance of health inequity within our field. Ultimately, this study highlights a critical need for department-wide health equity education. Future annual assessments will gauge the curriculum's impact on attitudes and knowledge.