Ask Yourself: Am I intentional in my inclusion of demographic characteristics (like race or ethnicity) for social context instead of as biological factors or physical findings? Am I clear on how inclusion of relevant social variables supports my learning objectives?
Probing question: Do my teaching examples encompass and normalize a range of patient characteristics similar to the mix in a diverse community like ours in Worcester?
Example: Including demographic or social data only when medically relevant may lead to over-association.
Ask Yourself: Do I include relative impact of cultural or socioeconomic determinants of health on case pathology?
Probing question: If I connect a demographic with a medical outcome, am I explaining the causal pathway?
Examples: When presenting a case associating asthma rates with racial categories, do we explain the social and environmental factors contributing to this association? A woman of color with high blood pressure may be suffering from chronic stress from structural racism.
Top Resources
Policy Map - Data and mapping tool for accessing data about communities across the U.S. to make better-informed decisions
DRIVE Best Practice: Ensure that cases lead the learner to question rather than reinforce bias and assumptions.
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Want to reference this resource? Please consider using this suggested citation:
DRIVE Committee. DRIVE: Expanded Curriculum Appraisal Tool and Resources. Published 2022. Updated July 22, 2024. https://libraryguides.umassmed.edu/drive
