Early Pre-clinical Exposure Enhances Medical Student Knowledge and Readiness in Caring for Patients with Disabilities.

ABSTRACT: Physicians receive little dedicated training in caring for patients with disabilities. This study evaluated whether integrating disability-focused content into pre-clinical curricula improved medical student knowledge, readiness, and attitudes in caring for patients with disabilities. Readings, clinical reasoning cases, and patient panels were added to the existing pre-clinical curricula. Students self-reported increased knowledge and readiness in caring for patients with disabilities following implementation. No changes were reported in student attitudes toward patients with disabilities. Integrating disability-related training into the curricula was effective in improving students' self-reported knowledge and readiness to care for patients with disabilities.

Supplementary information<

SUBMITTER: Ronner EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11297000 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature