Department of Medicine and Dentistry, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
Can Med Educ J. 2024 Feb 29;15(1):37-47. doi: 10.36834/cmej.76338. eCollection 2024 Feb.
To provide competent care to patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual developmental disorder (IDD), healthcare professionals must recognize the needs of neurodivergent populations and adapt their clinical approach. We assessed the perceived preparedness of medical students to adapt care delivery for patients with ASD/IDD, as well as their perceptions on neurodiversity education.
We conducted a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study on undergraduate medical students at McGill University during the academic year 2020-2021. We administered an online survey, followed by semi-structured interviews. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. We integrated findings at the interpretation level.
We included two-hundred-ten survey responses (~29% of class), and 12 interviews. Few students felt prepared to adjust care for patients with ASD/IDD despite most indicating doing so was important. Ninety-seven percent desired more training regarding care accommodation for neurodivergent patients. Thematic analysis unveiled the perception of current insufficient education, and the value of experiential learning.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights low perceived preparedness of medical students to accommodate care for neurodivergent patients, and a desire for more instruction. Incorporating interactive training in medical school curricula regarding modifying care delivery for neurodivergent individuals may improve the perceived preparedness of medical trainees to work with these patients and care quality.
为了向自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）或智力发育障碍（IDD）患者提供合格的护理，医疗保健专业人员必须认识到神经多样性人群的需求，并调整他们的临床方法。我们评估了医学生适应 ASD/IDD 患者护理的感知准备情况，以及他们对神经多样性教育的看法。
我们在 2020-2021 学年对麦吉尔大学的本科医学生进行了一项顺序解释性混合方法研究。我们进行了在线调查，然后进行了半结构化访谈。我们使用描述性统计和主题分析来分析数据。我们在解释层面上整合了研究结果。
我们纳入了 210 份调查回复（约占班级的 29%）和 12 次访谈。尽管大多数学生表示这样做很重要，但很少有学生觉得自己有能力调整对 ASD/IDD 患者的护理。97%的学生希望接受更多关于神经多样性患者护理适应的培训。主题分析揭示了对当前教育不足的看法，以及体验式学习的价值。
讨论/结论：这项研究强调了医学生对适应神经多样性患者护理的感知准备不足，以及对更多指导的渴望。在医学院课程中纳入关于调整神经多样性个体护理的互动式培训，可能会提高医学生对与这些患者合作和提高护理质量的感知准备。
