Presenter:
Cathy Kline
Authors:
Jane Xia, Cathy Kline, Darren Lauscher
Poster Abstract:
Many pharmacy students limited personal experience with diseases and healthcare navigation pose a challenge in teaching them about a patient’s healthcare journey and fostering empathy. To address this, people with lived experiences (PWLE) were invited to share their journey with Program Year 3 (PY3) students at the University of British Columbia Entry-to-Practice (E2P) PharmD (n=210) during three HIV tutorial sessions. The goals include enhancing students’ empathy, providing context for learning, and fostering an appreciation for the complexity of patients’ journeys from the manifestations of signs and symptoms to undergoing treatment.
During 2022 and 2023 winter term 2 (w2), PWLE were invited to the PY3 HIV tutorial sessions to discuss their patient journey. The speakers received a set of 12 questions prior to the sessions to aid in their preparation and maintain consistency in the topics addressed. The instructor facilitated the session using slido.com for anonymous questions. Subsequently, students completed a brief five-question survey to evaluate this educational intervention.
When asked “Do you think hearing and interacting with a live patient regarding his/her/their care journey increased your level of empathy?”, 2022w2 data showed 190 (98%) responded “yes” and 4 responded “neutral”. 2023w2 data showed 114 (95%) responded “yes” and 5 responded “neutral” and 1 responded “no”. The qualitative analysis of open-text responses revealed that the session encouraged students to reflect on their personal biases and the type of pharmacist they aspire to become.
Overall, having PWLE share their experiences can foster an increase in students’ self-reported empathy levels.
