113 - Evaluating fourth-year medical students’ knowledge of post-acute care rehabilitation discharge options and the impact of an educational program in a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation mandatory clerkship

Objectives: With the increasing use of post-acute care (PAC) services, including acute inpatient rehabilitation hospitals (IRH), skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and home health care (HHC), educating future physicians on PAC options is crucial for promoting safe discharge transitions and reducing hospital readmissions. However, most medical schools in the United States do not routinely offer instruction in post-acute rehabilitation settings. A recent study assessed medical students’ knowledge of PAC and rehabilitation, revealing that students lacked essential understanding in these areas. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of a targeted PAC educational intervention within a mandatory Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) clerkship on fourth-year medical students’ knowledge of PAC discharge options and criteria.

Design: Out of 108 eligible students, 59 fourth-year medical students rotating through a mandatory PM&R clerkship participated in a voluntary survey approved by the local Institutional Review Board. Baseline PAC knowledge was assessed through a pre-intervention survey, including six case scenarios and three questions about different PAC setting requirements. All participants then completed a 1-hr educational program consisting of a PAC lecture and case studies. After completing the PM&R rotation, a post-clerkship survey was administered.

Results: The intervention significantly increased participants’ confidence in their ability to determine the most appropriate PAC discharge plan, with only 5.1% feeling confident on the pre-intervention survey compared to 94.9% on the post-intervention survey (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant increase (p< 0.001) in the proportion of correct answers on the case scenarios and questions regarding acute IRH and other PAC setting requirements.

Conclusions: Determining the appropriate PAC discharge plan can be complex. This study demonstrates that implementing a PAC-specific educational program can enhance medical students’ understanding of PAC discharge options and criteria. Future directions include incorporating a longitudinal program into medical school curricula and evaluating long-term impacts of PAC education through additional surveys.