Exploring Topics Community Members with Chronic Illness Wish to Teach Future Healthcare Professionals

Nearly 50% of Americans, 133 million people, have at least one chronic illness and this number is expected to increase by 15 million within the next decade (1). Preparing future healthcare providers in collaborative practice and patient-centered care through interprofessional education (IPE) can improve outcomes for a rapidly growing number of chronically ill people (2).Goals, objectives, and purpose: This project investigated what community members with chronic conditions hope to teach future healthcare professionals through the Health Mentors IPE program and to assess how these lessons can improve IPE curricula and healthcare experiences for chronically ill people.Methods/Methodology: Five focus groups with health mentors, chronically ill community members who volunteer in Jefferson’s Health Mentors Program were audio recorded and transcribed. Directed content analysis was conducted (3). Codes were based on prior research, related to Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies and Core Competencies on Disability, and new themes in the data (4,5). Two raters independently coded for themes, and frequency of each theme was calculated.Results/Findings: This study consisted of a convenience sample of 36 health mentors (55% males and 45% females, 11% reported identifying as disabled). Preliminary analysis of 39 responses to the question “what did you hope to teach students about your lived experience” indicated four common themes: person-centered care, communication, education on the patient experience, and the impact of providers’ words. Less frequent themes were shared decision making, interprofessional collaboration, and empathy.Conclusions, implications, and/or curiosities: Patients with chronic conditions desired patient-centered care that incorporate them as individuals and emphasize the importance of factors outside of the actual medicine. This study offers opportunities for improving care for chronically ill patients, inform curriculum changes within Jefferson’s Health Mentors Program and medical school curriculum, and emphasizes the importance of incorporating patients as educators in healthcare training and collaborative care.