10 Measures and Outcomes to Assess Progress in Eradicating Racism

August 20, 2020

H. Steven Moffic, MD , Rahn K. Bailey, MD , Frank A. Clark, MD , Claire Cohen, MD , Catherine Friedman, MD , Jessica Isom, MD, MPH , Aekta Malhotra, MD

Suggestions to assess outcomes and measure success levels in combatting racism.

Scroll through the slides to read suggestions to measure outcomes and success levels in racism.

~ SPAR (Seven Psychiatrists Against Racism)

Jessica Isom, MD, MPH, H. Steven Moffic, MD, Rahn K. Bailey, MD, Frank A. Clark, MD, Claire Cohen, MD, Catherine Friedman, MD, Aekta Malhotra, MD

Professional wellness: Monitor burnout percentages of Black psychiatrists on an annual basis with implementation of anti-burnout studies.

Police and criminal justice reform: Infuse mental health professionals into culturally diverse safety and security institutions, providing guidance and education.

Visual symbols of racism: Monitor annually the number of racist symbols and names that remain as well as the number of changes and removals made.

Crucial and productive conversations about racism: Linking with W.R. Bion (Victorian literature and culture. 2019; 47[10]:167-186) becomes required reading for all mental health care professionals.

Examining racial blind spots in psychiatric practice: Observe the proportion of psychiatry grand rounds, medical education offerings, professional meetings, and professional development that address racial bias in psychiatric and medical decision-making.

Lifelong education on race in psychiatry: Active learning and experiences can be guided, measured, and encouraged through Performance in Practice Assessment modules that focus on race in all its dimensions.

Save the Children: Annual traumatic symptoms prevalence and resilience monitoring of children across cultures.

Intersectionality in psychiatry: Identify different groups to which people belong and start collecting data of cases of discrimination against them annually.

Racially based criminalization of substance abuse disorders: Annual measurement and tracking of racial disparities in drug-related arrests and sentencing as well as referrals to appropriate treatment for substance-related crime.

Racial lessons learned in rural psychiatry: Monitor the number of Black American psychiatrists practicing in rural areas and the supports offered for retention as well as safety.

For more on this topic, See Dismantle Racism in Psychiatry & Society, on which this slideshow is based.