Jump to comment:
- Page navigation anchor for RE: Seeing medicine's hidden curriculumRE: Seeing medicine's hidden curriculum
This is a thoughtful and well written article on the hidden curriculum.
With respect to the language of medical education, the example given of an individual with syphilis is without doubt valid. However, there are circumstances when it is useful to include information on a patient's race or ethnic background:
For example, the presenting features of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) may be different in African American patients compared with Caucasians (Allabban A, et al. Emerg Med J. 2017:doi:10.1136/emergmed-2016.206104) and unfortunately, black and Hispanic patients with ACS tend to experience treatment delays and have worse outcomes than non-Hispanic white patients (Graham G. Clinical Cardiology 2016: https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.22524).
Even in the context of investigations, all of the commonly used formulae for estimating creatinine clearance and GFR require input of the patient's race to improve accuracy.
There are other examples, as in the case of certain genetic diseases such as the thallasemias that are more common in those with Mediterranean ancestry, Tay-Sachs disease, mainly seen in Ashkenazi Jews and other Jewish groups, and hereditary hemochromatosis, that is seen most frequently in individuals with Northern European ancestry, and particularly in Celts.
While I agree completely with the authors that as healthcare providers, we must be sensitive to the use and abuse of ass...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.