Patient and public involvement in paediatric medical education

This article aims to identify how organisations can facilitate the involvement of paediatric patients and their parents/carers. While involving children in research can present challenges, we describe examples where organisations have successfully involved young people in clinical research and selection of research topics. Involving paediatric patients and their parents/carers in medical education helps develop a patient centred approach to practice for medical students. Participation of paediatric patients in objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) examinations is employed by many medical schools, however allowing them the ability to provide a ‘global score’ may have the potential to assess skills such as communication and empathy in addition to medical knowledge. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) have provided a framework on how to involve children in health services, addressing practical considerations such as funding and facilities. This framework could be applied by organisations seeking to actively involve children in paediatric medical education. Potential barriers and facilitators are explored in this article. During the COVID-19 pandemic, involving young people and their families in medical student teaching became challenging. We describe virtual bedside teaching sessions which actively involved paediatric patients and their families, which showed that many patients and parents prefer virtual consultations. Involving paedi...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Education and Practice - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Learning and teaching Source Type: research