Patient Experience in Health Professions Curriculum Development.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Engagement
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Health professions programs increasingly involve patients in curriculum development to enhance student learning.
• The impact of patient participation on the patients themselves remains largely unexplored.
• Understanding patient experiences is crucial for effective patient-centered education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and understand the lived experiences of patients involved in creating curriculum materials.
• Specifically, to investigate patient perspectives on contributing to a Verbatim Reader's Theater for health professions education.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semi-structured interviews with a focus group of three patients.
• Analyzed interview transcripts using van Manen's approach to hermeneutic phenomenology.
• Identified key themes through qualitative analysis.

Main Results:

• Five emergent themes: contextualizing contribution, addressing expectations, changing health-care service delivery, sharing common experiences, and coordinating participation.
• Patients reported a positive overall experience.
• Patients found meaning in shaping future clinicians' values through their personal narratives.

Conclusions:

• Patient involvement in curriculum development is a meaningful and positive experience.
• Sharing lived experiences can significantly influence the values and training of future healthcare professionals.
• Clear communication and early definition of roles/expectations are vital for successful patient-curriculum developer partnerships.