Episode 354: Antiracism in Medicine – Episode 25 – Live from SGIM 2024: Best of Antiracism Research at the Society of General Internal Medicine’s 2024 Annual Meeting
Sep 19, 2024
auto_awesome
This lively discussion spotlights cutting-edge antiracism research from a recent medical conference. Experts dive into maternal health disparities, particularly for Black women, and the financial challenges that influence healthcare decisions. They reveal how qualitative research can amplify patient experiences and uncover hidden barriers. The conversation emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives in addressing health equity and the necessity of community engagement in building trust and fostering meaningful change.
Qualitative research is essential in understanding health inequities by amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, providing context to disparities faced.
Researchers' personal experiences of injustice in healthcare drive their commitment to advocating for vulnerable populations and improving access to care.
Building trust with communities through transparency and engagement is vital for successful qualitative research, particularly among historically marginalized groups.
Deep dives
The Role of Qualitative Research in Health Equity
Qualitative research is pivotal in health equity work as it centers the voices of historically marginalized communities, enabling researchers to understand the depth of disparities they face. It provides context to quantitative data, illustrating how systemic issues like racism impact individuals' health and access to care. By using frameworks such as critical race feminism, researchers can design studies that genuinely reflect participants' experiences and challenges. This qualitative approach allows for a deeper exploration of the intersectionality inherent in health disparities, ultimately leading to more informed and effective interventions.
Personal Journeys Fueling Research
Both researchers discussed how their personal experiences have shaped their commitment to their work, particularly in the context of maternal health and financial barriers to care. They emphasized the importance of beginning research from a place of anger or concern about injustices they observed in the healthcare system. This emotional connection to their subject matter has motivated them to advocate for vulnerable populations and address issues related to inadequate healthcare access. By listening to patients' narratives, these researchers aim to address systemic problems and incorporate those voices into their findings.
Barriers to Qualitative Research Funding
Researchers face significant challenges in securing funding for qualitative research, often hindered by a lack of institutional support and a prevailing bias towards quantitative methods. While there is an increase in calls for community-engaged research, specialized funding for qualitative studies remains scarce. Many believe qualitative work is less rigorous than quantitative research, leading to misconceptions that undervalue its importance. They highlighted the need for greater recognition of the intricate and demanding nature of conducting qualitative research, arguing for more tailored funding mechanisms to support these essential studies.
Humanizing Healthcare through Storytelling
Qualitative research allows for the sharing of patient stories, which can humanize the statistical narratives often prevalent in healthcare discussions. By highlighting individual experiences, researchers can evoke empathy and drive interest in systemic change among broader audiences. The emotional resonance of patient narratives serves as a powerful tool for advocacy, challenging the normalization of health disparities and encouraging a more compassionate approach to care. This storytelling aspect not only enriches research findings but also cultivates a deeper understanding of the lived realities of patients.
Trust Building in Research Partnerships
Building trust with communities and participants is a crucial yet complex aspect of conducting qualitative research, especially when working with historically marginalized populations. Researchers recognized the importance of transparency about their intentions and being present in the community, engaging in events without expecting immediate gains. They emphasized that the key to establishing trust lies in showing commitment to the communities' needs and valuing their input in the research process. This dynamic allows researchers to navigate the tensions between institutional goals and the authentic desires of the communities they aim to serve.
Episode 25 – Live from SGIM 2024: Best of Antiracism Research at the Society of General Internal Medicine’s 2024 Annual Meeting
Show Notes by Ashley M. Cooper
September 19, 2024
Summary: This episode highlights a selection of antiracism research presentations at a live recording of the podcast at the 2024 SGIM Annual Meeting. This year’s episode, our fourth conducted at SGIM, is focused on the importance of qualitative research and the role it plays in antiracism research, community-based work, and scholarship. During this episode, we hear from Dr. S. Michelle Ogunwole, MD, PhD, an internist and social epidemiologist who specializes in the care of women with chronic medical conditions and racial disparities in maternal health outcomes, and Dr. Caroline Sloan, MD, a general internist whose research focuses on how financial considerations are imbued into medical decision-making. This episode is hosted by Ashley Cooper and Sudarshan (Sud) Krishnamurthy. The show notes for this episode were written by Ashley M. Cooper.
Episode Learning Objectives
After listening to this episode, learners will be able to…
Understand how they can better center patient experiences by engaging with, and conducting their own, qualitative research.
Describe the positive impacts of qualitative methods on healthcare provision and/or policies in clinical settings.
Identify the critical role that qualitative research plays in antiracism and health equity work.
Credits
Written and produced by: Ashley Cooper, Sudarshan Krishnamurthy, Team
Hosts: Ashley M. Cooper, Sudarshan Krishnamurthy
Infographic: Canva
Audio Edits: Ashley M. Cooper
Show Notes: Ashley M. Cooper
Guests: Dr. Michelle Ogunwole and Dr. Caroline Sloan
Time Stamps
00:00: Opening
00:10: Introductions
01:03: Guest Introduction 1 – Dr. S. Michelle Ogunwole
01:54: Guest Introduction 2 – Dr. Caroline Sloan
02:48: Background and Inspiration for Guests
7:21: Barriers to Pursuing Qualitative Research in Medicine
12:31: The Role of Qualitative Research in Cultivating Health Equity
19:37: Qualitative Research as a vehicle towards centering patient experiences in research
28:14: Audience Questions
28:16: Meta-Cognition: Evaluating Biases in Interpreting Qualitative Data
34:05: Trajectory of Qualitative Research’s Incorporation into Medical Curricula
39:33: Qualitative Research at the Nexus of Storytelling and Narrative Medicine
45:42: Honoring Community Stakeholders in Qualitative Research
49:00: Fostering Communal Trust: Advocacy and Patient-Centered Care
52:33: Humility and Community Involvement
56:55: Closing Remarks
Speaker biographies (Abbreviated)
Dr. S. Michelle Ogunwole, MD, PhD is a health disparities researcher, social epidemiologist and General Internal Medicine physician specializing in the care of women with chronic medical conditions. She has advanced training in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Science. She currently practices at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Her research is focused on racial disparities in maternal health outcomes among African American women.
Dr. S. Michelle Ogunwole, MD, PhD is a health disparities researcher, social epidemiologist and General Internal Medicine physician specializing in the care of women with chronic medical conditions. She has advanced training in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Science. She currently practices at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Her research is focused on racial disparities in maternal health outcomes among African American women.
References
Ogunwole, S. M., Chen, X., Mitta, S., Minhas, A., Sharma, G., Zakaria, S., Vaught, A. J., Toth-Manikowski, S. M., & Smith, G. (2021). Interconception Care for Primary Care Providers: Consensus Recommendations on Preconception and Postpartum Management of Reproductive-Age Patients With Medical Comorbidities. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, 5(5), 872–890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2021.08.004
Ogunwole, S. M., Karbeah, J., Bozzi, D. G., Bower, K. M., Cooper, L. A., Hardeman, R., & Kozhimannil, K. (2022). Health Equity Considerations in State Bills Related to Doula Care (2015–2020). Women’s Health Issues, 32(5), 440–449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2022.04.004
Ogunwole, S. M., Oguntade, H. A., Bower, K. M., Cooper, L. A., & Bennett, W. L. (2023). Health Experiences of African American Mothers, Wellness in the Postpartum Period and Beyond (HEAL): A Qualitative Study Applying a Critical Race Feminist Theoretical Framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(13), Article 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20136283
Sinaiko, A. D., Sloan, C. E., Soto, M. J., Zhao, O., Lin, C.-T., & Goss, F. R. (2023). Clinician Response to Patient Medication Prices Displayed in the Electronic Health Record. JAMA Internal Medicine, 183(10), 1172–1175. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.3307
Sloan, C. E., Millo, L., Gutterman, S., & Ubel, P. A. (2021). Accuracy of Physician Estimates of Out-of-Pocket Costs for Medication Filling. JAMA Network Open, 4(11), e2133188. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.33188
Sloan, C. E., & Ubel, P. A. (2019). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Cost-of-Care Conversations. Annals of Internal Medicine, 170(9_Supplement), S33–S35. https://doi.org/10.7326/M19-0537
Disclosures
The hosts and guests report no relevant financial disclosures.
Citation
Ogunwole M, Sloan C, Cooper A, Krishnamurthy S, Calac A, Pitre A, Pierce G, Essien UR, Fields NF, Lopez-Carmen V, Nolen L, Onuoha C, Watkins A, Williams J, Tsai J, Khazanchi R. “Episode 25: Live from SGIM 2024: Best of Antiracism Research at the Society of General Internal Medicine’s 2024 Annual Meeting” The Clinical Problem Solvers Podcast – Antiracism in Medicine Series. https://clinicalproblemsolving.com/antiracism-in-medicine/. September 19, 2024.
