Intellectual disability content within tertiary medical curriculum: how is it taught and by whom?

Abstract

BackgroundIndividuals with intellectual disability experience higher rates of physical and mental health conditions compared with the general population, yet have inequitable access to health care services. Improving the workplace capacity of medical professionals to meet the needs of this population is one way to reduce barriers to care and improve health outcomes. Using diverse pedagogy appropriate to learning outcomes to teach medical students about intellectual disability is a necessary step in improving future workplace capacity. However, there is a lack of research into how, and by whom, medical students are taught about intellectual disability. The aim of this study was to investigate this through an audit of Australian medical school curricula.MethodsThe Deans of Australian universities that provide accredited medical degrees (n = 20) were invited by email to participate in a two-phase audit of intellectual disability content in the curricula. Phase 1 (n = 14 schools) involved the Dean’s delegate completing a telephone interview or questionnaire regarding medical course structure. If intellectual disability content was identified, a unit coordinator was invited to complete a survey regarding how this content was taught and by whom (Phase 2; n = 12 schools).ResultsThere was considerable variability across Australian medical schools regarding methods used to teach content about intellectual disability. Didactic teaching methods were most frequently used (62% of units included some form of lecture), but workshops and tutorials were reasonably well represented (34% of units contained one or both). Thirty-six percent of units included two or more teaching methods. Almost all schools (83%) used some problem- and/or enquiry-based learning. Educator backgrounds included medicine, nursing, and allied health. A majority of schools (n = 9, 75%) involved people with intellectual disability designing and teaching content, but the extent to which this occurred was inconsistent.ConclusionsRenewing curricula around intellectual disability across all medical schools by introducing varied teaching methods and the inclusion of people with intellectual disability would assist students to develop knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence in intellectual disability health. Such renewal offers the potential to reduce barriers to service this population regularly face, thereby improving their health outcomes.

Co-producing Psychiatric Education with Service User Educators: a Collective Autobiographical Case Study of the Meaning, Ethics, and Importance of Payment

“…We sent an email to every member of the working group and to others who have worked closely on one or more of our co-produced initiatives, including a novel service user advisory course for residents [12,16], an initiative to include service users in recruitment and selection for our psychiatry residency program, and new service user-led activities for medical students, to invite them to join the manuscript writing process if they were interested, willing, and able. Those who agreed to be part of the manuscript writing process are the authors of this paper.…”

“…We can learn from the experiences and pedagogies [14] of psychiatric survivors [15], people with disabilities [16], and Indigenous communities [17] as they have advocated for the recognition that their members hold legitimate knowledge and expertise that are valuable in their own right. While there are many differences between and within these communities, they share a common goal of liberation from social injustices, including epistemic injustice, which refers to the harms done when people are unfairly reduced as non-knowers, often because of prejudice [18].…”

Communication patterns in the doctor–patient relationship: evaluating determinants associated with low paternalism in Mexico.

“…Professionals' limited knowledge about mental health and stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness can delay the diagnosis of autism [76] and other disorders, such as IDD (so-called intellectual disability), which can result in inequitable access to health care services [77] that may be due to a poor communication process. In our study, the percentage of mental healthcare professionals with a positive attitude toward and high knowledge about ASD and ADHD was 29.4% and 22.7% respectively, while that for IDD was lower (15.5%); this results could be explained by the fact that IDD is not clearly perceived as a pathological condition and, to an even greater degree, it is not considered a public health problem in Mexico.…”

Communication patterns in the doctor–patient relationship: evaluating determinants associated with low paternalism in Mexico.

“…Professionals' limited knowledge about mental health and stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness can delay the diagnosis of autism [73] and other disorders, such as IDD (so-called intellectual disability), which can result in inequitable access to health care services [74] that may be due to a poor communication process. In our study, the percentage of mental healthcare professionals with a positive attitude toward and high knowledge about ASD and ADHD was 29.4% and 22.7% respectively, while that for IDD was lower (15.5%); these results could be explained by the fact that IDD is not clearly perceived as a pathological condition and, to an even greater degree, it is not considered a public health problem in Mexico.…”