Wellness and prevention.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The importance of wellness and prevention in medical education is well documented. This report discusses the educational innovations in wellness and prevention that were implemented as part of the Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century (UME-21) project.

METHODS

Eight partner schools and four of the 10 associate partner schools provided specific information about learning objectives, content, and methods used in incorporating wellness and prevention into the curriculum. Based on these reports, common learning objectives and core content were identified.

RESULTS

Many schools emphasized that integration of content across courses and throughout the preclinical and clinical years was important in incorporating wellness and prevention content into existing curricula. A variety of instructional methods were used, including didactic lectures, workshops, smallgroup sessions, case studies, computer-based instructional modules, patient simulators, and standardized patient encounters. Based on partner reports, after completing the UME-21 project, students demonstrated gains in knowledge, clinical skills, and positive attitudes toward preventive care and wellness. The project outcome data indicated that student instruction in and exposure to preventive care was increased during the project. However, these increases were not significant when compared to their peers from non-UME-21 schools.

CONCLUSIONS

Although partner schools used different methods to incorporate wellness and prevention, the UME-21 project was an effective project in improving the educational experience in this content area for students from institutions that included this area in their educational innovations.