Enhancing medical education: The crucial role of sensory processing - Insights from occupational therapy

The processing of sensory information is crucial for academic success, socialization, and emotional well-being. Students who struggle with sensory processing (SP) may have difficulty concentrating, forming relationships with peers, and getting adequate sleep. These challenges are especially prevalent among college students with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. To provide a comprehensive analysis of SP findings in medical education, this review examines prior research in the field of occupational therapy. To gather relevant studies, we conducted a literature search using various databases including PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and SCOPUS. Our search utilized keywords such as "sensory processing," "university students," and "college students". We have classified the outcomes into eight distinct subheadings, which we elaborated in detail. "Managing educational settings with senses into account," "managing relationships with senses into account," "SP affects medical education in various ways," "challenges that learners with SP difficulties may face in medical education," "misconceptions that medical educators have about learners with SP difficulties," "learning more about SP difficulties in medical learners," "techniques that can support medical learners with SP difficulties," and "challenges related to incorporate sensory experiences into medical education" are explained in the result section. Understanding different personality types and their preferences according to the Dunn model of SP can help create a more productive and satisfying university setting for everyone. Therefore, it is essential for universities to recognize the impact of SP difficulties and provide appropriate support and accommodations to help students succeed both academically and socially.