Conclusion
A curriculum to improve resident attitudes and skills associated with caring for HNHC patients was successfully implemented in an IM program at a large academic medical center. The curriculum may be adapted for other training programs; long-term training woven throughout training may be important to significantly improve resident education on how to care for HNHC patients.
Methods
We developed a curriculum for PGY-2 and PGY-3 IM residents centered on caring for HNHC patients over the course of 6, 4h sessions during 1 academic year. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing self-rated attitudes and skills associated with caring for an HNHC patient population.
Results
Twenty-one IM residents completed the curriculum and 41 were in the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in assessed attitudes and skills, but there were trends of improvement, including a decrease in participants who agreed or strongly agreed they felt overwhelmed when seeing patients for posthospital discharge follow up (45.0% pre- to 41.7% post-intervention) and an increase in participants who agreed or strongly agreed they have the skills to successfully transition HNHC patients between inpatient and ambulatory settings (20.0% pre- to 33.3% post-intervention). Participants reported better understanding of resources available to HNHC patients, effective coordination of transitions of care, and comprehensive assessment of social determinants of health.