A Longitudinal Early Patient Encounter Program Through a Lens of Relationship-Centered Care

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Professional Training
• Relationship-Centered Care

Background:

• Medical education requires alignment with evolving healthcare, emphasizing person-centered, integrated care.
• Early patient contact (EPC) programs can improve healthcare professionals' ability to meet patient needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a longitudinal early patient encounter program using a relationship-centered care (RCC) framework.
• To explore medical students' learning about healthcare relationships.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal early patient encounter program involving repeated interactions with patients and healthcare professionals.
• Template analysis of student learning reports, guided by RCC theory.
• Participants: First- and second-year undergraduate medical students.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrated learning across all four dimensions of RCC: unique personhood, empathy, reciprocal learning, and benefit to patient care.
• Learning occurred through interactions with formal and informal healthcare network participants.
• Students developed knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies in healthcare relationships, with reflection enhancing professional and personal identity.

Conclusions:

• A relationship-centered care perspective effectively highlights learning outcomes in longitudinal early patient encounter programs.
• The program facilitated holistic, empathic, reciprocal, and meaningful relationship development in students.
• This approach is hypothesized to better equip future professionals for challenges in person-centered, integrated care.