Medical Student Confidence in Meeting Disability Competencies: Results of a National Survey-Based Study

People with disabilities have recently been declared a population at increased risk of health disparities, and research has cited a lack of physician training as a cause of that increased risk. Prior studies demonstrate that physicians lack confidence in caring for people with disabilities, but there is little research on disability competency among medical students. This study assessed medical students' confidence in six disability-related competencies and tested for associations between perceived confidence and students' personal demographics and institutional characteristics. A cross-sectional survey was administered to measure student confidence, and students' perceived confidence was calculated using a 5-point Likert scale. Mean confidence ranged from 2.35 to 3.43, suggesting that most students felt either "slightly confident" or "somewhat confident" in their ability to meet the selected competencies. Confidence did not differ based on disability exposure or level of training; however, there was a significant positive relationship between attending a public (state) medical school and students' confidence in listing community-based services for people with disabilities. This study highlights that future physicians are not confident in their ability to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Additional training is needed to teach future physicians the skills necessary to provide this population with high-quality clinical care.