Advancing Disability Awareness in Medicine: An Interactive Video Learning Module to Promote Disability Competent Care

Background In a 2023 press release, the National Institutes of Health identified people with disabilities as a population with health disparities, supported by a plethora of research detailing how individuals with disabilities experience less preventative care and worse health outcomes than those without disabilities. Research into health disparities experienced by persons with disabilities is in its infancy with the majority of literature published after 2010. However, redundant themes contributing to these disparities have already been identified by healthcare providers including both implicit and explicit bias as contributory factors. Objective Few, if any, specific educational requirements exist for healthcare providers related to caring for patients with disabilities leading to a lack of knowledge and awareness regarding this patient population. This report describes and evaluates one step to combat health disparities among people with disability through the creation, implementation and evaluation of a virtual asynchronous training module to aid medical students in providing disability competent healthcare. Methods An interactive, online video module known as Advancing Disability Awareness in Medicine (ADAM) was developed to deliver critical knowledge relevant to providing equitable healthcare to persons with disabilities. This module includes information on the Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodations, and disability etiquette. The module was made available to first-year medical students as part of their required preparatory work for a clinical learning session where they would interact with persons with disabilities. A pre- and post-module survey, which included a 15-item knowledge test, was administered to all participants. Results Thirty-four medical students completed the pre-module survey and thirty-two completed the post-module survey. After completing the module, over 80% of students (n = 27) indicated feeling more comfortable for future interactions with a person identifying as having a mobility disability. Scores on the knowledge assessment increased from an average of 66.3% correct (9.94/15, pre-module) to 83.3% (12.50/15, post-module). Conclusion The ADAM module is an effective tool to increase student knowledge and comfort when interacting with patients with disabilities, especially those with mobility disabilities. Future iterations will involve distribution of the module to other health professional programs. By advocating for curricular inclusion of student education that combats biases about disability and informs trainees of anti-ableist mindsets, medical schools could make an important contribution to decreasing the health disparities experienced by patients with disabilities as these students develop disability competence and become stronger advocates for their patients with disabilities.