Integrating High-Value Cost-Conscious Care into an Existing Medical School Curriculum

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Economics
• Clinical Skills Development

Background:

• High-value cost-conscious care (HVCCC) education is crucial for reducing healthcare spending.
• Integrating HVCCC into medical school curricula faces challenges due to time constraints.
• Peer-led educational initiatives offer a potential solution for delivering HVCCC training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feasibility of medical students creating and delivering HVCCC peer education.
• To assess the impact of a brief HVCCC curriculum on student knowledge, attitudes, and comfort.
• To evaluate a mixed-methods (online and gamified) approach to HVCCC instruction.

Main Methods:

• A pre- and post-survey design was used to evaluate first-year medical student attitudes and understanding.
• A curriculum comprising asynchronous online sessions and a gamified clinical skills lab was developed by student peers.
• The intervention was delivered within 2 hours and 25 minutes of total curricular time.

Main Results:

• 42% of students found the curriculum effective for promoting cost-effective care.
• 65% of students indicated they would likely use the resources during clinical rotations.
• Comfort accessing HVCCC resources significantly improved from 4% to 41% post-curriculum, though knowledge did not significantly change.

Conclusions:

• A peer-developed HVCCC curriculum is feasible in preclinical medical education.
• This educational innovation minimally impacted curricular time while enhancing student comfort with cost-effective resources.
• Student-led HVCCC education can be an effective strategy for improving resource accessibility and promoting cost-consciousness.