Evaluating the longitudinal impact of a disability education intervention on medical students' attitudes towards persons with a disability

Disability education and implications for genetic counselor training

The genetic counseling (GC) community has faced criticism about the duality of promoting patient autonomy while also advocating for individuals with disabilities. This study assessed the attitudes of the disability community and GCs to identify content that should be included in GC disability education and evaluate the landscape of GC disability education. Members of the disability community and GCs completed an electronic survey distributed through electronic listservs and partnering organizations. A total of 672 responses were analyzed from both the disability community (n = 596) and the GC community (n = 76). Members of the disability community noted differences in GC comfort level discussing different aspects of disability with GCs being perceived as being very knowledgeable about medical aspects 71% of the time versus 49% of the time when discussing social/lifestyle aspects of disability. This discordance was reflected in GCs reported comfort level in discussing medical aspects (89%) and social aspects of disability (65%) during a session. Most GC respondents (71%) felt they received adequate knowledge during their disability education and variation was reported in the execution of disability education by training programs. Disability education content recommendations from the disability community and GCs included emphasizing four key aspects of disability: medical, social/lifestyle, lived experience, and the disability rights movement. Respondents of both cohorts stressed the inclusion of and exposure to persons with disabilities in disability education to understand the lived experience of persons with disabilities. The disability community identified additional disability education content to be included such as empathy training, family hardships, and mental health. The results of this study have practice implications and provide a foundation for training expectations to ensure future GCs possess the necessary skills to improve the quality of services provided to families and persons with disabilities.

Exploring the impact educational interventions have on nursing and medical students' attitudes and empathy levels towards people with disability. A systematic review

This systematic review aimed to explore the impact educational interventions have on undergraduate nursing and medical students' attitudes and empathy levels towards people with disability. There are over one billion people with some form of disability currently. A growing body of research reveals that nurses and doctors display negative attitudes including decreased empathy towards people with disability. A systematic review using narrative synthesis of chosen randomized controlled trials was employed. A comprehensive search was completed in June 2021 on six databases (CINAHL, Medline, Science Direct, Health Research Premium - PROQUEST, Scopus. Cochrane Library). The search strategy yielded 21,616 studies and only three randomised controlled trials fulfilled the eligibility criteria. These trials included 125 participants (n = 50 medical students and n = 75 nursing students) and evaluated the effectiveness of a disabled health course, disability education module with bedside teaching and wheelchair workshop intervention. Findings from one study revealed that a disabled health course using affective learning method based on a transformative learning theory significantly improves attitudes to disability amongst nursing students however there was no statistically significant difference in empathy levels. More high-quality randomised controlled trials with greater theoretical and methodological complexity are needed to identify more effective educational approaches that enhance attitude and empathy levels of these key stakeholders.

The effect of advocacy education of nursing students on attitudes towards disability: a quasi-experimental study

Objectives

To determine the effect of advocacy education on the attitude of nursing students towards persons with disabilities.

Methods

This study is a one-group pretest-posttest design: a quasi-experimental study. The study population consisted of 38 students who were enrolled in the advocacy course in the final year of nursing school in a public university. A ten-week Disability Advocacy Education Program was implemented. Data was collected using the Data Sheet and Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities.

Results

Male students were found to have higher mean scores after the education; there was no statistically significant difference for other variables such as family structure, place of residence, and whether they have received education on disabilities.

Conclusions

Nursing students have a positive attitude towards people with disabilities, and that male students’ attitudes improved after education.

Implications for International Audience

Advocacy education provided to students help them develop a positive attitude towards people with disabilities.

Learners With Disabilities: An Important Component of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medical Education

The population of people with physical or sensory disabilities is growing, yet they are underrepresented in the medical and other health professions. At the same time, there is a clear need to enhance didactic curricular content and clinical training experiences that explicitly address the full scope of medical needs that individuals with disabilities have. These gaps represent missed opportunities to advance the health of an important, underserved, and growing population. Based on the authors' experience, the inclusion of people with physical or sensory disabilities in medical education greatly enhances the education of all learners and the professional development of faculty and staff, providing invaluable perspectives on the significant abilities of individuals with diverse physical or sensory disabilities. There are additional efforts and costs associated with the education of a medical student who is blind, is deaf, uses a wheelchair, or has another disability. But based on the authors' experience, it is clear that the societal return on investment is enormous, and the costs associated with a failure to embrace full inclusivity are much greater. Medical education institutions should recognize the population of people with disabilities as a vital component of their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and strive to provide inclusive education for learners with disabilities.