Sean Weber, DO
Resident Physician
Northwestern University / Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Leslie Rydberg, MD
Associate Professor, Clerkship Director, Associate Residency Program Director
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Many physicians lack adequate training to care for patients with disabilities (PWD) which can lead to suboptimal patient care. A comprehensive curriculum was developed with a focus on adaptive equipment and assistive devices and was integrated into the required 2-week Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) medical student rotation. We hypothesized that students who complete this training would have a better understanding of how these tools are used to improved function and quality of life and be more confident communicating with and providing medical care to PWD.
Design:
The teaching intervention during the PM&R rotation included a didactic session, hands on workshop, and patient interactions. Pre- and post-rotation surveys (n=26) were conducted as preliminary data. The primary outcomes measured were ratings of importance and change in knowledge and confidence levels from baseline related to adaptive equipment and assistive devices. We analyzed the data using mean responses on a Likert scale and percentages of participants selecting certain answer choices on pre- and post-rotation surveys.
Results:
Compared to baseline, students improved confidence in identifying gait aids (mean Likert scale increased from 1.9 to 3.5), orthotics (2.0 to 3.5), equipment for dressing/bathing (1.8 to 3.1), equipment for communication (2.3 to 4.1), and understanding how adaptive equipment can be used to improve function (2.6 to 4.2). After completing this training, participants felt more confident communicating with and more prepared to provide medical care for PWD. They were also more likely to recommend this type of education to all medical trainees, regardless of desired specialty.
Conclusions:
Based on this preliminary data, a PM&R rotation can improve medical student confidence in communicating with and providing medical care to PWD. Focused teaching on adaptive equipment and assistive devices can improve medical student's knowledge and confidence in this area.
