Impact of supplemental training programs on improving medical students’ confidence in providing diabetes self-management education and support

Abstract

Background/purposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of supplemental diabetes-related training modalities and volunteer activities in increasing first-year medical students’ knowledge/comfort in providing diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) to patients.MethodsA group of medical students developed supplemental diabetes-related training/volunteer programs. The training modalities included an optional 7-session interprofessionally taught Diabetes Enrichment Elective and a 3-hour endocrinologist-led training session intended to prepare students for involvement in an inpatient DSMES volunteer program. The volunteer program provided the students with the opportunity to provide DSMES to patients with diabetes admitted to an academic medical center. Those participating in any of the stated programs were compared to those with no such training regarding confidence in providing DSMES using an optional online survey. The results were analyzed by using Mann–Whitney U test and descriptive analyses.ResultsA total of 18 first-year medical students responded to the optional survey with a response rate of ~30% (10 of 33) among participants in any training/volunteer program. First-year medical students who attended any of the offered optional programs had statistically significant higher comfort level in 4 of the 6 areas assessed regarding providing DSMES compared with those with no such training (p<0.05), with medium to large effect size (r=0.48–0.59).ConclusionThis study suggests that the supplemental preclerkship diabetes-specific training modalities/volunteer programs can provide benefit in providing medical students with practical knowledge while improving their confidence in providing DSMES to patients with diabetes.

Medical student advocacy and action: a student-led initiative to prevent firearm violence

“…support (Fazel et al, 2017). These same approaches to prevention can be applied to firearm violence prevention.…”

Improving medical students&rsquo; confidence with supplemental training programs: a medical student&rsquo;s view

“…We read with great interest the article by Fazel et al evaluating the effectiveness of supplemental diabetes-specific educational programs at increasing medical students’ confidence when discussing diabetes self-management education and support with patients. 1 As medical students who have just finished pre-clinical years, we are at the stage where confidence issues regarding patient communication are high. With an aging population and the prevalence of patients with multiple co-morbidities increasing, the landscape of modern medicine is shifting to a more community-based approach.…”

“…We agree with the authors that “medical students are in prime position to provide such education.” 1 However, we feel medical students are often afraid to make mistakes, hence their lack of confidence and occasional reluctance to engage with patients. Furthermore, there is concern about how patients will react when given lifestyle advice, such as weight loss.…”