A Wayne State University School of Medicine student organization's service learning program was showcased at the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare's interprofessional conference, held June 17-19 at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.
Class of 2019 medical students Molly Belisle and Kaitlyn Dobesh presented the poster, "Integrating Home-Visits into Developmental Disabilities Clinical Service Learning Program," which summarized a home visit program led by the Arie Foundation, a School of Medicine student organization that provides support and comfort to pediatric patients and their families.
"As medical students, Kate and I were able to interact with physicians and other professionals leading the medical field on building communication and relationships in health care. There was significant interest in our home-visit program through the Arie Foundation and its possible integration at other schools," Belisle said. "We received feedback that our program here at the School of Medicine was unique in allowing first- and second-year medical students to visit the homes of families who had a child with a developmental disability."
The program supports the medical profession's transition to a patient-centered care model, exposing freshman and sophomore medical students to diverse patient interactions early in their medical education. Participating medical students visit families in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties who have children with intellectual, physical and developmental disabilities, in collaboration with WSU Developmental Disabilities Institute. The program gives the students the opportunity to assess their attitudes and perceptions of people with developmental disabilities and interact on a personal level with families. They also gain insight into the home life, medical needs and personal concerns of the family, which translates into greater empathy and understanding of the specific needs of families.
"The poster was developed as part of a grant we received from the WSU Developmental Disabilities Institute to increase medical students' clinical and communication skills with parents of children with disabilities," Co-Curricular Programs Director Jennifer Mendez, Ph.D., said.
Dr. Mendez and medical students Xiaofan Mi, Jessica Tsuei and Crystal Zhang also contributed to the project. The program requires two medical students to complete two home visits, each scheduled for two hours, approximately 30 to 60 days apart, with a phone call in between. The families complete surveys on physician empathy adapted for health professions students, patient perceptions of physician empathy and a general physician trust scale. Students assess their perceptions of disability and definitions and criteria associated with disabilities assessments.
As a thank you to the families, the Arie Foundation and the DDI hosted a family appreciation event in the Margherio Family Conference Center last November.