Teaching the concept of “community” aspects of health to health professions students: A starting point

The burden of disease in the U.S. has shifted, both in nature and in quantity, although the manner in which health professions students are trained has shifted only slightly. Recognizing this disjoint, the IOM and others have advocated the training of all health professions students in population health. The Healthy People 2010 Curriculum Task Force has outlined specific educational content for health professions students, including “community aspects of practice.”

In Fall 2006, first year medical students were required to work in groups to complete a community scavenger hunt in cities across Northeast Ohio. A key objective of this assignment was to broaden students' understanding of the political, environmental, soci0-cultural, and demographic attributes that ultimately affect the health of individual residents. Students identified specific community attributes, interviewed residents, and identified assets and deficits in the community affecting health. They presented their findings to the entire College via poster displays.

Students' knowledge and attitudes were assessed before and after the activity. Nearly all students reported a quantitative improvement in their knowledge of the community and its attributes. Students' narrative descriptions of community influences on health were improved in both quantity and quality. Students were able to better identify and describe how the structure (political, environmental, social) of communities impacts health, regardless of the health system structure in place.

This presentation will describe the structure and logistics of this innovative educational activity and its outcomes, and will provide attendees with a curriculum plan for implementation within their own health professions training programs.