The patient voice in medical education - 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The role of the patient voice in medical education: a study of experience in the patient-educator setting
IRAS ID
149686
Contact name
Leda Schiltz
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Current educational guidelines from the General Medical Council indicate that patients must play a far larger role in the education of healthcare professionals than they currently do (GMC; 2009).
While the need for greater patient involvement and partnership has been widely accepted within practice as a vital component of ‘patient centred care’, healthcare education has not kept up with practice expectations for patient involvement. Recent literature reviews (Towle et al; 2010, Spencer et al;2000, Wykurtz & Kelly; 2002) demonstrate that most patient involvement initiatives in education are one off events, and that little is known about the impact that these experiences have on student learning, the patients involved in these initiatives, or on later doctor-patient interactions.
For the past 7 years the medical school at King’s College London have been running a comprehensive and unique ‘patient educator’ programme in which individuals with experience of specific medical conditions are trained to be ‘patient educators’ (PE’s). PE’s use their own body and experience to guide and give undergraduate medical students feedback on how they combine carrying out physical examinations with meeting their communication needs.
This research project proposes to conduct ethnographic phenomenological research within the ‘patient educator programme’ in King’s College London in order to explore the question of what the patient educator encounter is like for the individuals taking part, in particular I wish to explore a question posed by Towle et al: “What are the similarities, differences and tensions between what students, patients and faculty members want to teach and learn from one another? And how should we manage [these]”. It is hoped that as a result of these explorations we may be better equipped to work with both patients and students in designing and delivering educational experiences that reflect their respective educational and communication needs.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/WM/1171
Date of REC Opinion
15 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion