Trigger Warnings in Medical Education
Author Information
Author(s): James Fisher, Jessica Bennett, Abby Atkinson, Linda Errington
Primary Institution: School of Medicine Newcastle University
Hypothesis
What is known about the impact of trigger warnings on learning in medical school education?
Conclusion
The use of trigger warnings in medical student education is contentious, with a lack of consensus on their purpose and implementation.
Supporting Evidence
- Trigger warnings are intended to help students prepare for potentially distressing content.
- There's no consensus on what topics require trigger warnings.
- Some studies suggest that trigger warnings may not lead to avoidance of distressing material.
Takeaway
Trigger warnings are alerts given to students before they encounter potentially upsetting content, but there's a lot of debate about how and when to use them in medical schools.
Methodology
A scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's five-step approach, including literature searches and thematic analysis.
Potential Biases
There is a concern that trigger warnings may be used defensively by educators to avoid responsibility for student responses.
Limitations
The review did not assess the quality of included studies and may have missed relevant articles.
Participant Demographics
The studies included medical students and educators from various geographical locations, primarily the US and UK.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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