CHEST expands First 5 Minutes program to address implicit bias and cultural humility

American College of Chest PhysiciansOct 1 2024

The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is expanding its First 5 Minutes^® program to include e-learning modules addressing implicit bias and cultural humility in the clinical setting.

First launched as an in-person training in 2022, the First 5 Minutes initiative focused on improving patient care through trust building and empathetic listening. The in-person training expanded to e-learning modules in October 2023, reaching a broader audience to improve quality and efficiency of clinical practice.

The new cultural humility modules are a natural progression of the established First 5 Minutes program. Research shows that empathetic listening can help establish trust and improve patient outcomes. However, without intending to, a clinician's body language, word choices, and assumptions can influence the patient's engagement and trust levels."

Elizabeth Stigler, PhD, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at CHEST

Created by a team led by Debasree Banerjee, MD, MS, FCCP, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and Associate Medical Director of the MICU at Brown University, the objectives of the new course are to:

• Identify the role interpersonal racism plays in patient-provider interactions.
• Define various forms of interpersonal racism.
• Distinguish key roles in a racial microaggression, including the person causing harm, the person who is harmed, bystanders, and upstanders.
• Identify and understand microintervention strategies and skills.
• Apply microintervention skills in the real world.
• Analyze and implement cultural humility skills to strengthen patient relationships.

"This microlearning series will address the need for addressing implicit bias, cultural awareness, and humility," says Dr. Banerjee. "Approaching interactions with cultural humility can have a positive impact on building trust and improving communication. It's something that is applicable to anyone but is especially critical for those of us interacting directly with patients."

At the CHEST Annual Meeting 2024, the First 5 Minutes program will be featured in an interactive workshop on Tuesday, October 5, from 4 to 5 pm, which will introduce the cultural humility module into the empathetic listening model. Group work with role-playing scenarios will help participants develop and sharpen their skills. Upon completing the workshop, participants will be invited to develop a plan to incorporate the program into their practices.

The e-learning modules offer 1.25 CME credits and can be accessed through the CHEST learning management system.