Medical Students' Knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives
This study was designed to assess the knowledge of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in year-one medical students at an HBCU. After assessing this knowledge, we evaluated the effectiveness of an ACEs educational program intervention.
Methods
The study entailed dispersion of a pre-program ACEs knowledge survey, the implementation of a trauma-informed curriculum to augment the hypothesized knowledge deficit, and finally a post-program survey assessing the effect of our intervention.
Results
Results demonstrated a significant knowledge deficit in year-one medical students but also showed that a trauma-informed curriculum could enhance knowledge survey scores by over 50%.
Conclusions
The study adds to the growing body of literature emphasizing the need to include programing in the social determinants of health as a part of every medical school's curricula. It especially highlights the importance of including such curricula in medical training at HBCUs whose graduates often work in underserved areas where the need for trauma-informed care is critical and where such care can be especially impacting.
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