Developing a Novel Disability-Focused Curriculum for Healthcare Professionals and Trainees through Web-based eLearning Modules
Emily Eijansantos1, Isabel Allen2, Rian Bogley7, Julia Seaman8, Wendy Tobias3, Cecile Puretz3, Jo Cummins4, Clarissa Kripke4, Patricia O'Sullivan5, David Irby6, Maria Luisa Gorno Tempini7, Zachary Miller7
1Department of Neurology, 2Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, 3Office of Diversity and Outreach, 4Office of Developmental Primary Care, 5Department of Medicine, 6Center for Faculty Educators, University of California, San Francisco, 7UCSF Memory and Aging Center, 8Biostatistics, Bayview Analytics
Objective:
To develop a foundational evidence-based disability curriculum for health professionals and trainees with a focus on awareness of ableism (discrimination in favor of able-bodied persons) in healthcare practices.
Background:
Lack of standardized disability-focused education within professional training and continuing education curricula has directly contributed to poor health outcomes for people with disabilities (e.g. incomplete physical examinations, health misinformation, lack of accommodations and autonomy, etc.).
Design/Methods:
Based on literature review and needs assessments completed by several interprofessional health and disability advocacy organizations, we identified specific learning goals and objectives suitable for an asynchronous disability-focused, anti-ableism curriculum. With iterative feedback from medical education experts, disability content experts, faculty, and health professional students, we created two 20-minute eLearning modules on “Introduction to Disability Theory and Ableism,” and “Health Disparities Faced by People with Disabilities,” comprised of video components and embedded interactive questions. These modules were offered as supplemental material to a class of 141 first year medical students in Fall 2023 with opt-in surveys examining their perceptions toward disability and their baseline knowledge of disability concepts relevant to healthcare practice. Participants were also asked to rate their satisfaction with module content and their attitudes toward expanded disability training for health professionals.
Results:
70 medical students completed the two modules and both pre- and post-module surveys. The entire pilot can be found here:
https://ucsf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6h8CWHatl2ofIZU. Surveys found that students were overall satisfied with this content and had not previously been exposed to this literature as it pertains to changes in patient outcomes. 98% of participants agreed this material should be included in their training.
Conclusions:
Mixed video and interactive eLearning modules can be an effective tool to deliver expanded disability-focused training, help learners identify gaps in their understanding of disability as a social determinant of health, and reinforce how examples of ableism in medicine lead to health disparities.
Disclaimer: Abstracts were not reviewed by Neurology® and do not reflect the views of Neurology® editors or staff.