Patient Involvement to Promote Empathy in Preclinical Medical Students: Cross-Sectional Intervention Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Curriculum Development
• Empathy Training

Background:

• Patient involvement in medical education often limited to small-group settings.
• This study addresses patient engagement in large-group, lecture-based teaching.
• Focuses on meaningful patient involvement, avoiding paternalistic methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and evaluate a new curriculum component.
• Involve patients in early-year biomedical, clinical, and social science teaching.
• Promote empathy development in medical students.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 6-step curriculum development approach.
• Integrated real patients into lectures for authentic voice.
• Employed a coproduction workshop with patients, educators, and students.
• Recruited patients via healthcare networks and a patient group.
• Administered student feedback questionnaires to assess engagement and learning outcomes.

Main Results:

• 604 first- and second-year students attended lectures with patients.
• 87% of students reported increased empathy.
• 77.5% of students reported improved learning engagement.

Conclusions:

• Novel inclusion of patient stories in lectures enhances student learning.
• The intervention effectively promotes empathy in medical students.
• Findings are reproducible, transferable, and well-received by students.