Blind spots in medical education: how can we envision new possibilities?

Perspectives on Medical Education

article

Tackett, Sean¹  Steinert, Yvonne²  Whitehead, Cynthia R.³  Reed, Darcy A.⁵  Wright, Scott M.¹ 

[1]Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

[2]Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University

[3]Wilson Centre for Research in Education, University of Toronto

[4]Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

[5]Division of Community Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic

[6]College of Medicine and Science, Mayo Clinic

关键词: Biases;    Blind spots;    Medical education reform;    Innovation;   

DOI  :  10.1007/s40037-022-00730-y

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum B.V.

【 摘 要 】

As human beings, we all have blind spots.Most obvious are our visual blind spots, such as wherethe optic nerve meets the retina and our inability tosee behind us. It can be more difficult to acknowledge our other types of blind spots, like unexaminedbeliefs, assumptions, or biases. While each individual has blind spots, groups can share blind spots thatlimit change and innovation or even systematicallydisadvantage certain other groups. In this article, weprovide a definition of blind spots in medical education, and offer examples, including unfamiliarity withthe evidence and theory informing medical education,lack of evidence supporting well-accepted and influential practices, significant absences in our scholarlyliterature, and the failure to engage patients in curriculum development and reform. We argue that actively helping each other see blind spots may allowus to avoid pitfalls and take advantage of new opportunities for advancing medical education scholarshipand practice. When we expand our collective field of vision, we can also envision more “adjacent possibilities,” future states near enough to be consideredbut not so distant as to be unimaginable. For medical education to attend to its blind spots, there needsto be increased participation among all stakeholdersand a commitment to acknowledging blind spots evenwhen that may cause discomfort. Ultimately, the better we can see blind spots and imagine new possibilities, the more we will be able to adapt, innovate,and reform medical education to prepare and sustaina physician workforce that serves society’s needs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY