The SHALON Method is the cornerstone of Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project, integrating Storytelling, Empowerment, Community-Building, and Education to address racial disparities in maternal healthcare.
The SHALON Method is a structured educational and training approach developed by Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project (DSMAP) to address and mitigate racial disparities in maternal healthcare. This method is particularly focused on improving care for women of color by educating healthcare providers on cultural competency, bias recognition, and patient-centered care practices. The acronym SHALON stands for:
Storytelling: Utilizing real-life stories and experiences of women of color to foster empathy and deeper understanding among healthcare providers and the broader community. These stories help humanize statistical data and highlight the systemic challenges faced in maternal healthcare.
Hearing: Actively listening to the experiences and needs of patients, ensuring that their voices are heard and valued in the healthcare process.
Acknowledging: Recognizing the valid concerns and cultural backgrounds of patients, acknowledging their individual experiences and the broader social determinants of health that influence their care.
Listening: Developing skills among healthcare providers to improve how they listen to and engage with patients, ensuring that communication is respectful, comprehensive, and constructive.
Owning biases: Helping healthcare providers to identify, understand, and own their implicit and explicit biases, and providing them with tools to mitigate these biases in their practice.
Never forgetting the oath to do no harm: Reinforcing healthcare providers’ commitment to their professional oaths by promoting ethical practices and the prioritization of patient safety and well-being.
The SHALON Method incorporates a variety of teaching methods and learning strategies such as Self-Guided Studies (SGS), Real-World Scenario-Driven Training (RWSDT), and Virtual RWSDT (RWSDT-V). These educational techniques ensure that healthcare providers can absorb detailed information at their own pace and apply what they learn through practical, real-world scenarios. The program emphasizes interactive and reflective exercises to reinforce learning, encourage critical thinking, and promote personal reflection on practice improvement.
The SHALON Method is an educational and training approach developed by DSMAP to address racial disparities in maternal healthcare. It focuses on enhancing cultural competency and empathy among healthcare providers through the principles of Storytelling, Hearing, Acknowledging, Listening, Owning biases, and Never forgetting the oath to do no harm.
The SHALON Method improves maternal healthcare by equipping providers with the skills to recognize and mitigate biases, enhance their communication and empathy, and better understand the cultural contexts of their patients. This leads to more personalized, respectful, and effective care for women of color.
Healthcare providers, including doctors, nurses, midwives, and support staff in maternal healthcare settings, can benefit from this training. The method is also beneficial for healthcare administrators and policymakers who are involved in shaping practices and policies in maternal health.
While primarily designed for healthcare professionals, the principles of the SHALON Method are universally applicable in any professional setting that requires cultural competence and empathetic communication, such as education, social work, and customer service.
The SHALON Method uses a variety of learning formats including Scenario-Based Training (SBT), both in-person and virtual, Reflective Learning Exercises like quizzes and discussions, and a Modular Learning Progression that requires sequential completion of educational units.
The duration can vary depending on the intensity and depth of the training modules selected. Typically, a full course can range from a few weeks to several months, including both foundational training and advanced practice scenarios.
Yes, the SHALON Method offers Virtual Scenario-Based Training (RWSDT-V) that can be accessed online, allowing participants from various geographical locations to engage with the material at their convenience.
Participants are expected to demonstrate improved cultural competence, greater awareness and management of personal biases, enhanced communication skills, and a deeper empathy towards patients. These outcomes contribute to better patient-provider relationships and improved healthcare outcomes for women of color.