Approximately 39 percent of first- and second-year medical students said professors should consider using "trigger warnings" before depicting or using graphic content for educational purposes in students' preclinical curriculum, according to recent research published in the journal Teaching and Learning in Medicine.
Researchers examined the responses of 259 first- and second-year medical students who completed a five-question survey. The questions examined students' prior knowledge and prior experience and perceptions of trigger warnings in medical education.
The data illustrated only 11.2 percent of those surveyed indicated they were aware of the term "trigger warning" and its definition. However, after being presented with the definition, 38.6 percent of students said at least one of their professors had used a trigger warning in class.
The plurality of respondents (39.2 percent) indicated they "maybe" supported the use of trigger warnings in medical education, while 31 percent said they supported the use of such warnings. A qualitative analysis of the data revealed three main reasons for incorporating such warnings into medical education:
- Allow students to prepare for the information.
- Help students learn how to handle distressing information.
- Help students understand the severity of the material.
"[The] findings did not reach consensus for or against the use of trigger warnings in medical school … [However,] trigger warnings may represent a teaching tool to facilitate classroom discussions about the severity of trauma-related material and problem-focused coping strategies," the study authors wrote.