Guiding Principles for Patient and Public Engagement in the Educational Missions of Medical Schools

The purpose of this research was to cocreate with patients and the public a set of evidence-informed guiding principles for their authentic, responsive, ongoing, and sustainable engagement in the mission, goals, curriculum, and delivery of medical education.

A set of guiding principles of relevance to medical education was identified from the literature. Eight focus groups with patients and community members representing a wide variety of perspectives were conducted in April and May 2022. Participants reviewed, prioritized, and discussed the principles and described successful engagement, resulting in 8 guiding principles in priority order. A summary report was circulated to participants for feedback. The principles were reviewed and endorsed by senior leaders in the medical school.

The 8 focus groups were attended by 38 people (age range, mid-20s to postretirement; 7 male, 27 female, and 4 unknown gender). Accountability (19%), inclusion (18%), reciprocity (17%), and partnership and shared decision-making (14%) were chosen as the most important principles. Participants want evidence that their contributions are valued and have made a difference. They want the medical school to include and support a diversity of perspectives that reflect the populations being served by the health care system. They want the medical school to invest in building trusting and respectful long-term relationships with patients and the public.

The guiding principles could be used by medical schools as a starting point to build relationships with their local communities to increase the authentic and sustainable engagement of patients and the public in the educational mission of the medical school.