Evaluating Medical Student Perceptions of the ADEPT-CARE Protocol Through Remote, Self-Directed Learning

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Disability Studies
• Healthcare Equity

Background:

• Individuals with disabilities face healthcare access barriers and disparities.
• Undergraduate medical education often lacks standardized disability training.
• The ADEPT-CARE protocol aims to improve medical trainees' interaction with disabled patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the ADEPT-CARE protocol in enhancing medical students' confidence and skills in caring for patients with disabilities.
• To assess the impact of self-directed, remote training on disability competency.

Main Methods:

• Medical students participated in a self-directed, remote ADEPT-CARE training module.
• Pre- and post-module surveys assessed changes in perceptions and confidence.
• Nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests analyzed the data.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant increases in student confidence in assessing and providing equitable care to patients with disabilities were observed (p = 0.0005, p = 0.0002).
• Students were more likely to adopt a consistent approach during patient encounters (p < 0.001).
• 12.5% of participants identified as having a disability, and 50% had a family member with a disability.

Conclusions:

• Self-directed, remote ADEPT-CARE training effectively boosts medical students' confidence in treating patients with disabilities.
• The protocol is a viable method for integrating disability-focused education into medical curricula.
• Further research should investigate clinical and simulated setting effectiveness.