Sandwiches, 6 Feet Apart: Reflections on Community (and Medical School) During COVID-19

Fessler, Mary; Bishop, Ruth; Jabour, Sarah M.; Vasudevan, Anita

doi:10.1370/afm.2694

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Empathy is a frequently discussed topic in the context of medical education and should be a focus of concerted attention during this time of dramatic healthcare changes. 4,7,20,21 Encouragingly, the participants in our study did not feel that their experience of empathy was negatively in uenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, many felt that their empathy increased.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

A Qualitative Exploration of Medical Student Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ellison

Pruzinsky

2021

Preprint

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BackgroundThere is evidence that medical student self-reported empathy may decline as one progresses through their clinical training. Due to the unprecedented changes to both patient care and medical education caused by COVID-19, it is reasonable to assume that medical student empathy may be impacted. The goal of this July 2020 study was to qualitatively explore how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect medical students’ reported experience of empathy.MethodUsing a semi-structured interview, the authors interviewed 12 medical students, 6 second-year and 6 fourth-year. They selected these groups because of the distinct differences in their clinical experience. ResultsData analysis identified 5 major themes: 1) Expanded Perspective (e.g., a feeling of “we’re in this together”, increased awareness of patient vulnerability) 2) Moral Dilemmas (e.g., difficult decisions faced by students as a result of the pandemic such as weighing educational vs. family responsibilities, students risking their own health to provide the best possible care) 3) Confirmation of Values (e.g., Feeling reaffirmed in decision to enter medicine, feeling the pandemic was “what we signed up for” by entering medical school) 4) Shaping Priorities (e.g., changes in medical specialty or populations of interest) 5) Barriers to Empathy and Adaptive Strategies (e.g., COVID-19 created many physical, psychological, and social barriers to empathy for students, students presented many strategies for ameliorating these barriers). Five students (42%) reported increased empathy with no students reporting a decrease in empathy due to experiences during the pandemic. Conclusions Participants did not report that their personal experience of empathy for patients was negatively influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many reported that their empathy increased. The observed differences in responses by pre-clinical (second-year) and clinical (fourth-year) students suggests a possible shift in how empathy is experienced and practiced as one progresses through their medical education. The overwhelmingly positive responses to the semi-structured interview, emphasizing appreciation of the opportunity to discuss topics not previously openly discussed, underscores the importance of providing explicit opportunities for students to discuss their emotional/interpersonal experiences within medical education, particularly in difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

A Qualitative Exploration of Medical Student Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ellison

Pruzinsky

2021

Preprint

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Assisting primary care teams and patients in a culturally diverse periphery: impact on medical students’ future career choices

Rayan-Gharra,

Malatskey,

Ofir-Gutler

et al. 2024

BMC Med Educ

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Background Medical students can assist in reducing healthcare disparities and promote health equity by engaging with rural communities and gaining insights into their unique healthcare needs. A two-arm student-delivered program was designed and implemented during COVID-19 in a social-geographic peripheral area to assist clinics with complex chronic and/or socially disadvantaged patients and improve preventive behavior in townships through home visits delivering community kits. Methods We conducted a pre-post design study which included weekly structured medical student reports and monthly structured telephone interviews with clinic directors and municipal partners. Students completed pre-post program survey on their knowledge, skills, and capabilities to address chronic patients from diverse cultural backgrounds (n = 73). The Wilcoxon-Signed-Rank test for related samples was used to determine differences. Results Following the program, the knowledge and awareness levels of students about working in the community (P < 0.001) and their knowledge of common chronic diseases were significantly improved (Mean Difference (MD) = 0.31; p < 0.001). The program significantly increased students’ interest to integrate into community care alongside a hospital (P = 0.012). Thematic analysis of student reports revealed improved insight into the role of primary care. Clinic directors (90%) were highly satisfied and reported that students became an integral part of the clinics’ teams. Conclusions Integrating medical students into the community through primary-care clinics and home visits in diverse communities, exposed students to the interwoven effect of clinical and social determinants on health and improve their knowledge of common chronic diseases. Participation in the program encouraged students to consider a career in community care.

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Building an Evidence Base for Integration of Social Care Into Health Care: Our Collective Path Ahead

Cohen

Marchis

2021

Ann Fam Med

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s adverse social determinants of health are increasingly recognized for their role in perpetuating health inequities and poor health outcomes, there are growing efforts to integrate social care (ie, activities to identify, assist with, and adjust for social risk factors) into health care. [1][2][3][4][5] Numerous professional societies have called for screening and intervening on patients' social risks. [6][7][8][9][10] The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency of social care as many patients face new or intensified socioeconomic hardship. [11][12][13][14][15] Amidst accelerating social care integration efforts, collaboration among researchers, policy makers, payers, and health care systems is needed as the drive to implement outpaces the evidence.This issue of Annals of Family Medicine includes 3 articles highlighting both how far we have come in advancing the integration of social and medical care, and how much work lies ahead. In their qualitative case study of Michigan federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), Greenwood-Ericksen et al examine the implementation of social risk screening and drivers of variation in social care activities. 16 In their special report, Hoeft et al translate lessons learned from behavioral health integration to the social care realm. 17 And finally, in a narrative piece, Fessler et al poignantly reflect on the importance of human connection, and how stepping away from formal training

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Sandwiches, 6 Feet Apart: Reflections on Community (and Medical School) During COVID-19

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

A Qualitative Exploration of Medical Student Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A Qualitative Exploration of Medical Student Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Assisting primary care teams and patients in a culturally diverse periphery: impact on medical students’ future career choices

Building an Evidence Base for Integration of Social Care Into Health Care: Our Collective Path Ahead

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