ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 194
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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Reconnecting with the community through Japanese
general practitioners and medical social workers coteaching medical students: A mixed-methods study
Dr Mei Endo1, Kiyoshi Shikino2, Fumie Hayasaka3, Prof Ryuki Kassai1, Maham Stanyon1
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Fukushima Medical University, 2Chiba University, 3Shalom Nursing Home, Fukushima Kouseikai
Aim
Primary care recovery and sustainability in a post-COVID healthcare system requires reconnection
with community healthcare professionals, bringing an opportunity to reshape medical education
through the involvement of multidisciplinary professionals as teachers alongside physicians. The feefor-service model of Japanese healthcare siloes professional practice, leaving few opportunities for
medical students to learn about interprofessional interactions, particularly between medical and social
care fields. We designed an interactive session co-facilitated by a general practitioner and a medical
social worker (MSW), incorporating a lecture, case studies of patients with complex social needs
and role-play. We conducted a mixed-methods analysis to understand how the session impacted on
student understanding of the role of a MSW and how liaison between clinical work and social care fits
into comprehensive community care and contributes to primary care sustainability.
Content
We administered a questionnaire before and after the session, asking students to self-rate their
understanding of the role of MSWs, comprehensive community care, the importance of patient
background and sustainability in primary care on a five-point Likert scale which was analysed by a
Student’s t-test (P < 0.05). Free-text comments were collected and underwent content analysis.
Participants were 120 fourth-year Japanese medical students undertaking their rotation in family
medicine. The questionnaire was answered by 111 students, with 69 students contributing free-text
comments. All questionnaire items showed significant improvement in student understanding after the
class, with strongest improvement in understanding the role of MSWs and comprehensive community
care. Content analysis extracted four themes (expertise and collaboration; learning strategies; clinical
skills; and healthcare systems), with nine categories and 49 subcategories identified.
Goal
Our research identifies a key role for multidisciplinary co-facilitation, alongside the delivery of
case-based content reflective of interprofessional community interactions, in supporting student
understanding of professional roles in the community, and a reconnection to comprehensive
community care teaching to support future practice.
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