ADEPT-CARE: A pilot, student-led initiative to improve care for persons with disabilities via a novel teaching tool

• Published in: Disability and health journal 2023-07, Vol.16 (3), p.101462-101462, Article 101462
• Main Authors: Smeltz, Lydia, Carpenter, Sandra, Benedetto, Lauren, Newcomb, Nora, Rubenstein, Dana, King, Tonya, Lunsford, Christopher, DeWaters, Ami L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Curriculum; Curriculum design; Disability; Disability health; Disabled Persons; Education, Medical; History & physical exam; Humans; Learning; Students, Medical; Undergraduate medical education; United States
• ISSN: 1936-6574; 1876-7583; 1876-7583
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101462

Over one-quarter of United States adults live with a disability. Despite persistent ableism, defined as discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities, in healthcare, disability-focused training remains largely absent from medical education. The aim of this study was to pilot and evaluate a novel teaching mnemonic (ADEPT-CARE) for performing a comprehensive history and physical exam for disabled patients. In Spring 2022, first-year medical students at a suburban Mid-Atlantic institution could electively participate in a learning module that included ADEPT-CARE. Surveys were administered to students before and following exposure to the ADEPT-CARE protocol. Of 142 eligible students, 33 and 21 completed the pre- and post-surveys, respectively. The ADEPT-CARE protocol made sense to 95.2% of students. All (100%) students reported that they will use the ADEPT-CARE protocol in the assessment of patients with disabilities. Students were more likely to agree or strongly agree that they had a consistent approach or strategy in mind when assessing a patient with a disability after exposure to ADEPT-CARE (85.7% vs. 39.4%, respectively, p = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in students’ perceived confidence in their ability to assess a patient with a disability after curriculum completion compared to before (85.7% vs. 81.8%, respectively, p = 1.0). The ADEPT-CARE protocol has the potential to be an effective teaching tool by providing a framework to equitably care for disabled patients. Future research should assess whether students’ self-reported increased confidence and intention to utilize ADEPT-CARE translates into the clinical setting.