Practicing effectively in today's health system: teaching systems-based care

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Systems
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• The Institute of Medicine and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education emphasize systems-based care in medical training.
• Systems-based care education equips future physicians to navigate and improve healthcare delivery.
• Effective teaching requires structured clinical experiences beyond traditional hospital settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define undergraduate clinical content and experiences in systems-based care.
• To outline the approach of eight Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century (UME-21) partner schools.
• To provide a framework for implementing systems-based care in medical curricula.

Main Methods:

• Exposure of third- and fourth-year medical students to varied clinical settings (e.g., physician offices, patient homes, hospice).
• Instruction in key systems-based care skills: care coordination, performance assessment, and quality improvement.
• Utilizing a network of eight UME-21 partner schools for diverse program implementation.

Main Results:

• UME-21 programs successfully exposed students to systems-based care topics.
• Graduating student surveys indicated program effectiveness in achieving educational objectives.
• Variability in the extent and nature of exposure was noted among participating schools.

Conclusions:

• The experiences detailed offer valuable insights for medical school curriculum planning.
• Implementing diverse clinical rotations enhances understanding of healthcare systems.
• Standardizing systems-based care education can improve physician readiness for modern healthcare challenges.