Short- and long-term educational outcomes of a brief equity-focused curriculum for interdisciplinary staff in an intensive care setting: a mixed-methods evaluation

Racism and bias contribute to inequities in pediatric and neonatal care. Although equity-focused education is increasingly promoted and has been associated with improvements in awareness and confidence, few curricula have been systematically evaluated among practicing clinicians, particularly within interdisciplinary clinical teams. We developed Improving Care Through Equity , a one-hour interactive equity-focused, anti-bias curriculum required for all patient-facing staff in a level III neonatal intensive care unit. The curriculum addressed the history of race as a social construct, levels of racism, inequities in neonatal outcomes, and upstander strategies. Participants completed surveys before the curriculum, post-curriculum, and three months later to assess learner-reported knowledge, confidence, and comfort addressing bias. Quantitative outcomes were analyzed using Cochran’s Q and McNemar’s tests with Bonferroni correction with absolute differences in proportions reported alongside 95% CI calculated using the score method for paired proportions. Open-ended responses were thematically analyzed using grounded theory with independent coding and consensus via discussion. Among 226 participants, all completed pre-curriculum surveys, 214 completed post-curriculum surveys and 55 completed surveys at all three timepoints. Knowledge of implicit versus explicit bias increased from 60% at baseline to 100% post-curriculum and remained high at follow-up (94.5%). Confidence in having tools to address bias rose from 61.8% to 100% and persisted (96.4%). Comfort using these tools increased from 66.7% to 97%, with sustained gains at follow-up (93.9%). Qualitative themes reflected increased awareness, self-reflection, and appreciation for authentic facilitation, alongside calls for continued dialogue and structural change. A brief, required, equity-focused, anti-bias curriculum was associated with improved and sustained learner-reported knowledge, confidence, and comfort addressing bias. These findings contribute to the medical education literature by demonstrating the feasibility and educational value of integrating equity-focused curricula into required training for practicing clinicians in high-acuity clinical settings.