Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-9-2026

Comments

This article is the author's final published version in MedEdPORTAL : the journal of teaching and learning resources, Volume 22, April 2026, Article Number 11591.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11591. Copyright © 2026 Ferguson et al.

Abstract

Introduction: Training residents and attending physicians on effective communication strategies to manage biased patient and visitor comments is lacking. The I-RESPOND toolkit curriculum provides strategies for addressing identity-based misconduct in the clinical setting. Methods: Resident physicians and faculty in 12 departments at a single academic center participated in the workshop between June 2021 and February 2022. The workshop consisted of interactive didactics, an introduction to the I-RESPOND toolkit, and opportunities to practice communication strategies with formative feedback. Retrospective pre/postworkshop survey instruments and a follow-up survey were used to evaluate the workshop and subsequent experiences. Results: Sixty-six (32%) of 204 participants (including residents and attendings) completed the workshop evaluations, with 15 workshops facilitated. Both groups of participants were significantly more confident in their ability to respond to identity-based misconduct after participation. The retrospective pre/postworkshop analysis of their perceived change in confidence in addressing the workshop educational objectives showed a significant increase in median confidence score from pre- to postworkshop (p < .001). On the follow-up survey, participants' mean ± SD rating (disaggregated sample, 50 participants) for the likelihood of using at least one strategy in the next 2 months was 4.2 ± 1.01 (on a 5-point scale; 1 = Very unlikely, 5 = Very likely), with 9 (32%) of 28 participants indicating they had intervened in the moment to address the behavior. Discussion: This curriculum increased awareness of the impact of patient-initiated misconduct and helped inform institutional policies related to the management of disruptive discriminatory behavior from patients and visitors.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

PubMed ID

41969315

Language

English

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