Patient-Centered Care and Biopsychosocial Model in Podiatric Medical Education

Patient-centered care and the biopsychosocial model of healthcare delivery are new models of care that take into account active involvement of patients, their families and their psychological and social environments. Empathy is at the core of both, patient-centered care and the biopsychosocial model, and numerous scientific studies have demonstrated many benefits of provider’s empathy in outcomes for both the patient and the provider. Paradoxically, empathy has been shown to decline among medical and dental students during their educational training. The Association of American Medical Colleges has stated that one task of medical education is to train selfless physicians who “must be compassionate and empathetic in caring for patients.” Likewise, the American Podiatric Medical Association’s House of Delegates proposed a commitment in Vision 2015 to educate and train podiatrists to be the most qualified physicians to manage diseases affecting the foot and ankle. With that in mind, empathy, patient-provider communication skills, patient-centered care, diversity training, and the biopsychosocial model of healthcare delivery must take a revitalized role in curriculum development. In this presentation, the latest educational developments for achieving such goals will be analyzed to advocate for a call for action in the podiatric medical education community.