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Medical Educators’ views and experiences of trigger warnings in teaching sensitive content
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Nolan, Helen Anne and Roberts, Lesley (2021) Medical Educators’ views and experiences of trigger warnings in teaching sensitive content. Medical Education, 55 (11). pp. 1273-1283. doi:10.1111/medu.14576 ISSN 0308-0110.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/medu.14576
Abstract
Background:
Trigger warnings - prior notification of topics so recipients may prepare for ensuing distress - are encountered widely in contemporary culture. Students at some universities have expressed expectations for trigger warnings. Medical education routinely exposes students to numerous potentially distressing topics. However, this topic remains understudied in medical education. Little is understood about educators’ views or practice relating to warnings in the context of medical education.
Methods:
Twenty medical educators from a medical degree programme in the UK participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview study, exploring medical educators’ views and experiences of managing distressing situations and, specifically, their use of warnings. We analysed interview transcripts by thematic coding and identified themes.
Results:
Analysis identified themes relating to educators’ conceptualisation of trigger warnings and rationale for use, concerns about the use of warnings and the critical purpose of medical school in ensuring preparedness for clinical practice.
Participants: shared that warnings were given to empower students in approaching distressing topics and to enable engagement with learning. Warnings acknowledged that some experiences would be distressing and normalised and signalled acceptability of emotional responses. Decisions to use warnings were influenced by the nature of content and, reactively, in response to experiences of student distress. Terminology regarding trigger warnings was interpreted varyingly by participants. A broad variety of topics were identified as potentially sensitive. A number of concerns were noted regarding the use of warnings.
Discussion:
Warnings alone did not fulfil educators’ responsibility in supporting students’ professional development, but may be a useful adjunct, signalling that self-care is valued and should be prioritised. Despite frequent use of warnings, individual educator practice was shaped by varying rationale. A framework that addresses competing tensions of preventing distress while supporting professional development is needed as part of a trauma-informed approach to medical education.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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Subjects: | L Education > LB Theory and practice of education R Medicine > R Medicine (General) |
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Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences > Social Science & Systems in Health (SSSH) Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Trigger warnings, Trigger warnings -- -- Study and teaching, Trigger warnings -- Health aspects, Medical education , Medicine -- Study and teaching | ||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Medical Education | ||||||||
Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. | ||||||||
ISSN: | 0308-0110 | ||||||||
Official Date: | November 2021 | ||||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 55 | ||||||||
Number: | 11 | ||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 1273-1283 | ||||||||
DOI: | 10.1111/medu.14576 | ||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
Reuse Statement (publisher, data, author rights): | This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Nolan, H.A. and Roberts, L. (2021), Medical Educators’ views and experiences of trigger warnings in teaching sensitive content. Medical Education, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14576. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. | ||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 2 June 2021 | ||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 1 June 2022 |
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