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. 2024 May 10;24(1):525.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05473-4.

Patients as teachers: a within-subjects randomized pilot experiment of patient-led online learning modules for health professionals

Ruth Ndjaboue  1 , Caroline Beaudoin  2 , Sandrine Comeau  2 , Anne Dagnault  2 , Maman Joyce Dogba  2 , Sarah Numainville  2 , Charles Racine  2 , Sharon Straus  3 , Marie-Claude Tremblay  2 , Holly O Witteman  4
Affiliations

Patients as teachers: a within-subjects randomized pilot experiment of patient-led online learning modules for health professionals

Ruth Ndjaboue et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Abstract

Purpose: Many health professions education programs involve people with lived experience as expert speakers. Such presentations may help learners better understand the realities of living with chronic illness or experiencing an acute health problem. However, lectures from only one or a small number of people may not adequately illustrate the perspectives and experiences of a diverse patient cohort. Additionally, logistical constraints such as public health restrictions or travel barriers may impede in-person presentations, particularly among people who have more restrictions on their time. Health professions education programs may benefit from understanding the potential effects of online patient-led presentations with a diverse set of speakers. We aimed to explore whether patient-led online learning modules about diabetes care would influence learners' responses to clinical scenarios and to collect learners' feedback about the modules.

Method: This within-subjects randomized experiment involved 26 third-year medical students at Université Laval in Quebec, Canada. Participation in the experiment was an optional component within a required course. Prior to the intervention, participating learners responded to three clinical scenarios randomly selected from a set of six such scenarios. Each participant responded to the other three scenarios after the intervention. The intervention consisted of patient-led online learning modules incorporating segments of narratives from 21 patient partners (11 racialized or Indigenous) describing why and how clinicians could provide patient-centered care. Working with clinical teachers and psychometric experts, we developed a scoring grid based on the biopsychosocial model and set 0.6 as a passing score. Independent evaluators, blinded to whether each response was collected before or after the intervention, then scored learners' responses to scenarios using the grid. We used Fisher's Exact test to compare proportions of passing scores before and after the intervention.

Results: Learners' overall percentage of passing scores prior to the intervention was 66%. Following the intervention, the percentage of passing scores was 76% (p = 0.002). Overall, learners expressed appreciation and other positive feedback regarding the patient-led online learning modules.

Discussion: Findings from this experiment suggest that learners can learn to provide better patient-centered care by watching patient-led online learning modules created in collaboration with a diversity of patient partners.

Keywords: Diversity; Equity; Inclusion; Online learning; Patient partnership.

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Conflict of interest statement

RN held a fellowship from Diabetes Action Canada. Expert patients who appeared in the module videos used in the intervention or contributed as co-authors are also members of Diabetes Action Canada. These patients were informed that participation in this study was independent from their other participation in Diabetes Action Canada and that if they preferred not to participate, the decision would have no impact on their participation in Diabetes Action Canada. Patient partners were not compensated for their participation in the video recording. Patient partners were offered compensation for time spent reviewing and commenting on the findings of this study. All other authors have no competing interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study flow diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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