Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Interprofessional Education
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Strengthening interprofessional collaboration and patient engagement is crucial for improving healthcare system safety, quality, and efficiency.
• Integrating patients into healthcare education from early stages fosters a collaborative learning environment.
• The faculty of medicine and pharmaceutical sciences in Geneva involve patients in partnership teaching starting from the first year of their interprofessional collaboration training program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the suitability and relevance of two teaching activities: a conference and workshops.
• To evaluate teaching activities co-constructed and co-facilitated by patient-teacher pairs.
• To integrate patients' experiential knowledge into healthcare education content.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative and qualitative assessment of educational activities.
• Administration of questionnaires to students.
• Semi-structured interviews with patients and teachers.

Main Results:

• Students, patients, and teachers deemed the teaching activities suitable and the content relevant.
• The partnership model, particularly co-facilitation by patient-teacher pairs, was identified as a significant strength.
• First-time patient-teachers reported notable apprehension regarding activity facilitation, despite overall positive evaluations.

Conclusions:

• The initial experience with patient-teacher partnership in education warrants further consideration for patient involvement in curriculum co-construction.
• This model provides valuable insights into integrating patient perspectives into health professional training.
• Reflections on patient involvement in teaching highlight the potential for enhanced educational outcomes and patient-centered care training.