The Deaf Culture Panel: Introducing Culture into Anatomy Education

The anatomy laboratory is a place where one can integrate education in basic science and professionalism in medicine. Cultural competence is one component of professionalism that has received less attention in the anatomical sciences as opposed to other competencies. Yet cultural competence is imperative in providing appropriate and effective communication and care across multiple patient populations. A lack of such competence has contributed to heath care disparities between hearing and d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) patients. Therefore, this study sought out to introduce and evaluate a Deaf Culture panel presentation, which was provided as one of five Applied Anatomy sessions during the first‐year integrated medical student curriculum at Morehouse School of Medicine. This 90‐minute session was scheduled during the Head and Neck section of the course, soon after the ear and auditory system had been studied. Three panelists were invited to share their experiences in medicine during this panel; two were culturally Deaf and communicated in American Sign Language, and one utilized a cochlear implant and communicated in spoken English. Panelists shared their experiences and challenges in communication with the medical community about health care. This included incorrect assumptions made by health care professionals, challenges with access to appropriate communication, and the effect of this poor communication on their ultimate care. Although this panel was considered a lecture and therefore optional, a large majority of the class of 100 students were in attendance. This panel was evaluated in several ways. First, students were invited to complete optional pre‐ and post‐assessments to measure how this session impacted their knowledge and awareness of Deaf culture and working with DHH patients. Assessments demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge and awareness from pre‐ (n=33) to post‐assessment (n=13; P < 0.001). Next, students were asked to evaluate the session using a Likert scale of 1–5. The average rating of the session was 4.8, indicating that the session was quite well received. Next, students were given the option to write open‐ended comments on their experiences with the session. One such response included, “ I learned several things that I will carry into my career and life in general.” Finally, informal observations by the authors during and after the panel suggested that students were highly engaged during the session, with several staying afterwards to ask questions of the participants one on one. These findings are promising in terms of incorporating this type of experience into medical education more broadly. This was a successful integration of a session to promote cultural competence and communication within the anatomy curriculum, which has the potential to directly impact future patient care. Support or Funding Information NIH, Grant number P03‐G12MD007602 U.S. Department of Education, Grant Number P03‐1B141018