Teaching mental handicap to medical students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Behavioural Sciences
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Traditional medical education often lacks sufficient focus on the behavioural sciences and the care of individuals with mental handicaps.
• Pre-clinical medical students require effective pedagogical approaches to understand and interact with diverse patient populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative teaching approach for pre-clinical medical students concerning mental handicap within a Behavioural Sciences course.
• To evaluate student perceptions and attitudinal changes regarding mental handicap following participation in the program.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of extended placements for student interaction with individuals with mental handicaps.
• Utilizing a reciprocal and egalitarian interaction model.
• Administering questionnaires to assess student attitudes and experiences.

Main Results:

• Students reported positive experiences, finding the seminar enjoyable, interesting, and relevant to their future medical careers.
• Pre-seminar attitudes were generally positive towards individuals with mental handicaps and their societal treatment.
• No significant attitudinal shifts were observed post-seminar.

Conclusions:

• The innovative teaching method is well-received by medical students, enhancing their engagement with the topic of mental handicap.
• While the program fosters positive perceptions, it does not appear to induce significant changes in deeply held attitudes or career aspirations in the field.
• Further pedagogical strategies may be needed to effect more profound attitudinal shifts in medical students regarding mental handicap care.