National Prevalence of Disability and Clinical Accommodations in Medical Education

This study aimed to evaluate and report the national prevalence of disability across undergraduate medical education (UME) and examine differences in the category of disability, and accommodation practices between allopathic (MD)- and osteopathic (DO)-granting programs.

Between May 20 and June 30, 2020, 75% of institutional representatives at eligible DO schools responded to a web-based survey. The survey assessed the aggregate prevalence of disabled DO students, prevalence of DO students by category of disability, and prevalence of accommodations granted. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize results. Using 2019 MD data, comparisons were made between MD and DO programs to calculate overall prevalence and differences in accommodation practices across undergraduate medical education.

DO-granting programs reported a disability prevalence of 4.27% of the total enrollment. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), psychological disabilities, and chronic health disabilities were reported most frequently. DO-granting programs reported higher rates of ADHD than the MD-granting program. The national pooled prevalence of disability across MD- and DO-granting programs was 4.52%. MD-granting programs reported a higher number of students with disabilities and higher rates of psychological disabilities when compared with DO-granting programs. One hundred percent of DO students disclosing disability received some form of accommodation. General clinical accommodations were more frequently provided in MD-granting programs when compared to DO-granting programs.

This study provides the first comprehensive prevalence of US medical student disability and accommodations. Additionally, these data may serve as a benchmark for DO programs, with implications for curricular development, instructional planning and disability support, and resource allocation in medical education.