Patient experiences of participation in a medical student teaching workshop

To investigate the motivations for and experiences of patients who actively participate in a workshop to teach medical students about chronic disease.

Descriptive study using structured telephone or e-mail-based questionnaire exploring the views of 'patient tutors' who participate in a 'living with chronic disease' workshop.

'Patient tutors' with a chronic medical condition who had participated in at least one 'living with chronic disease' workshop for medical students at Oxford University Medical School.

Patient motivating factors can be divided into two groups, direct benefits such as companionship or improved knowledge of their condition, and a teaching role involving an altruistic desire to give something back, and wanting to educate the doctors of the future. Importantly, most patients participated multiple times over a number of years despite no remuneration for their time other than expenses.

Patients appear highly motivated to educate medical students about chronic disease, due to a combination of personal benefits and an altruistic desire to 'give something back'. This suggests that they present an invaluable and currently undermobilized resource for the future of medical education.