Curriculum Innovations: Improving Residents' Knowledge and Interest in Outpatient Neurology Through an Interactive...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Neurology
• Outpatient Care

Background:

• Neurology residency training traditionally emphasizes inpatient care, leading to underrepresentation of outpatient disorders and management skills.
• A gap exists in resident exposure to the patient perspective of living with chronic neurologic conditions and effective shared decision-making strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance neurology residents' understanding of outpatient neurologist roles and responsibilities.
• To provide residents with patient insights into living with chronic neurologic diseases.
• To improve residents' comprehension of effective shared decision-making in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• A novel didactic series featured facilitated discussions between patients and their outpatient neurologists.
• Six bimonthly, 1-hour sessions were piloted, initially in-person and later virtually, focusing on specific neurologic disorders.
• Surveys were administered to residents, faculty, and patients to evaluate the program's effectiveness and refine the format.

Main Results:

• Qualitative feedback highlighted patient perspectives as the most valuable component for residents and faculty.
• A majority of residents, all participating faculty, and all patients agreed that the learning objectives were met.
• Forty-eight percent of residents reported an increased interest in pursuing outpatient neurology careers.

Conclusions:

• The didactic series effectively addressed underrepresented outpatient topics in neurology training.
• Incorporating patient narratives was crucial for achieving learning objectives related to chronic disease management and shared decision-making.
• Key success factors included faculty moderation, structured discussion points, and visual aids; future research should assess long-term behavioral impact.