Establishing the Patient Task Facilitator Program: Redefining the Shadower Role

Physician shadowing offers exposure to physicians' daily responsibilities, roles, and understanding of patient interactions. Given the pressure to maintain clinical productivity, including students in Emergency Department care may be difficult. Student impact on patient care and physician workflow is understudied, and novel programs seeking to incorporate students are warranted.

We created a longitudinal educational program that combines physician mentorship and an in-depth clinical experience by offering more direct patient-facing activities compared with traditional volunteering or shadowing. We aimed to improve patient Emergency Department experience, incorporate students into the care team to improve the patient and family experience, and allow faculty to benefit from enhanced workflow by reducing the need for physician and nursing attention. Students served as a patient care concierge by carrying a mobile phone and providing patients with a business card with their phone number so they could be reached for questions, needs, or concerns. Students were not permitted to discuss test results, answer medical questions, or discuss care plans. The program has been modified based on feedback, which is obtained semi-annually.

The patient task facilitator program has been active since 2019. Forty-two students and eight attending physicians have participated. Three students (7%) with engagement below expectations were removed from the program. Adaptations include ensuring consistent mentor pairing, increased phone availability, and internal promotion of the program. Faculty and student satisfaction was high; 74% of students reported plans to pursue careers in medicine, and faculty reported improved productivity, patient satisfaction, and nursing availability. Patients mentioned their patient task facilitator on Press Ganey surveys on multiple occasions as being positive and helpful, with no negative experiences noted.

The Patient Task Facilitator program improved both students' and faculty's satisfaction with shadowing, and additionally improved attending productivity, nursing availability, and patient satisfaction.