Survey evaluates the patient's voice in education

Patient's voice

Aware of increased emphasis on creating an environment that encourages patient engagement in clinical settings and in education, the AO Education Institute is conducting an online survey to evaluate the patient’s voice in education—and AO Faculty are encouraged to participate.

Patients can be asked to act as educators, content experts, members of education planning committees, and members of ethical approval committees. Patient involvement yields benefits in terms of improving communication skills, fostering patient-centered care, enhancing empathy, and promoting a deeper understanding of the patient experience among healthcare professionals 1, 2.

At the AO, education is developed with the aim of improving patient care, starting with the identification of patient problems. Despite patients being central to education, the AO Education Institute is asking: How often is the patient's perspective really included?

For example, AO Spine United Kingdom and Ireland Council member Manoj Khatri and Claire Thornber, founder of the Cauda Equina Champions Charity, are collaborating to provide health care professionals with educational content that includes the patient's perspective.

In a new survey, the AO Education Institute is gathering information from AO Faculty on whether they already include the patient's voice in education, its potential value, and the level of interest in applying this.

Additional resources

In this video, medical education providers share their experiences on incorporating patients in education.

References

  1. Patients as Educators: A Narrative Literature Review. Hall J, Howell B, van Gemeren N, Medical Education 2015, DOI: 10.1111/medu.12660
  2. Rowland P, Anderson M, Kumagai AK, McMillan S, Sandhu VK, Langlois S. Patient involvement in health professionals' education: A meta‐narrative review. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2018;24(3):595‐617. DOI:10.1007/s10459-018-9857-7
Patient's voice