Impact of a 10-week disability elective on health professions students' attitudes towards disabled persons

Disability is overlooked in health provider training despite the growing number of patients and providers with a disability. In-depth training on delivering outstanding care is provided as part of training for health professions, however little guidance is provided on how to interact with patients with disabilities.

Students enrolled in a 10-week interdisciplinary elective at the University of California, San Francisco were asked to participate in the study. Students who consented to participate completed a pre-intervention assessment that incorporated the Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale (IDP) and Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale Short Form C (MC). At the conclusion of the elective, participating students retook both surveys as part of a post-intervention assessment.

There was a significant difference in IDP score and non-significant difference in MC score following the elective. There was a positive but non-significant correlation between the paired results for the IDP and MC surveys.

Following completion of a 10-week disability awareness curriculum, there was a significant improvement in health professions students' perceptions towards persons with disabilities.