Impact of an innovative disability curriculum on medical students, faculty and patients with disabilities

Aging of the population will increase the number of individuals living with disabilities. However, medical schools have not traditionally prepared students to care for individuals with disabilities. Our objectives were: 1) to develop an innovative curriculum designed to teach proper assessment/management of patients with disabilities, and 2) to assess the impact of the curriculum on students, faculty and patients.

We developed and implemented a curriculum consisting of: 1) a lecture covering the historical and psychosocial aspects of disability; 2) a sensitivity exercise where students performed tasks with a simulated physical or communication impairment; and 3) a faculty-supervised group interview of an individual with a disability. 160 first year medical students, 35 faculty physicians and 30 individuals with disabilities participated. Participants completed a 5-point Likert scale attitude survey.

Results: Student Survey (N=103): 96% felt the disability interview should become a permanent component of their clinical skills curriculum; 90% felt they were more likely to discuss the psychosocial aspects of disability with patients; 76% felt better prepared to care for disabled individuals. Patient Survey (N=30): 94% felt the interview was a valuable use of their time and 63% felt more comfortable discussing their disability with their doctor after the session. Faculty Survey (N=22): 96% felt the experience was valuable for medical students; 85% felt the experience was valuable for themselves.

Conclusions: A multi-modality disability curriculum had a significant impact on medical student and faculty attitudes and awareness of issues critical to the delivery of effective care for individuals with disabilities.