Center for Surgery and Public Health

PACTS

Provider Awareness Cultural Dexterity Toolkit for Surgeons

About the PACTS Curriculum

The Provider Awareness and Cultural Dexterity Toolkit for Surgeons (PACTS) Curriculum was developed to improve cultural dexterity among general surgery residents. The program was funded by an NIH NIMHD Clinical Trial (5R01MD011685-03), and tested at 8 surgical residency programs in 2018-2021. The PACTS Trial is a registered clinical trail with ClinicalTrials.gov (ID#NCT03576495). While the curriculum was designed specifically for general surgery residents, it is possible to adapt the curriculum to other specialties.  

The PACTS curriculum is designed to be implemented over one year, with four modules. These modules are: Trust, Limited English Proficiency (LEP), Informed Consent, and Pain Management. The modules consist of an e-learning session done independently by learners prior to an in-person session. The e-learning portions should take between 30 and 60 minutes. Following the modules e-learning portion, there is live session centered around one or two case explorations. The number of case explorations is chosen by the session leader. Each case exploration will take about an hour. Facilitator guides are available.  

Self-guided materials are available for residents interested in learning independently, but we encourage programs to engage in group learning exercises if possible.

Download the PACTS Curriculum

All materials are free under a creative commons license. We encourage you to select the learning materials as needed for your residency program, but ask that you credit the PACTS Trial Team. To access the materials, please fill out the survey linked below.