Learning to Teach with Patients and Caregivers: a Focused Ethnography

Overview

Journal BMC Med Educ

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Medical Education

Date 2024 Mar 3

PMID 38433220

Authors

Sara Alberti

Valeria Vannini

Luca Ghirotto

Loris Bonetti

Sergio Rovesti

Paola Ferri

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Little is known about what happens when patients and caregivers are involved in an academic setting as co-teachers and how healthcare professionals approach a new model of partnership-based teaching. This study aimed to explore the learning and behavioural patterns of a group of healthcare professionals who were learning to teach with patients and caregivers as co-teachers in a post-graduate course.

Methods: A focused ethnographic study involving 11 health professionals was conducted. Data were collected through participatory observation during the course, individual semi-structured interviews, and a follow-up focus group. Taxonomic analysis was performed.

Results: Three categories were identified: 'group', 'role of narration' and 'applying co-teaching with patients and caregivers '. Specifically, heterogeneity, absence of hierarchies, and balanced relationships characterised the group dynamic and promoted partnership. Narration played a key role both in learning and in healthcare professionals' relationship with patients and caregivers and promoted emotional skills and self-awareness. Project planning and lessons simulations were essential aspects of the implementation process.

Conclusions: This focused ethnography helped further understanding of the context of a specific project involving patients and caregivers as co-teachers in healthcare professional education. The development of emotional skills and self-awareness are the main learning patterns of co-teaching, and interprofessionalism and balanced relationships are the basis of the behavioural patterns. These patterns facilitated the involvement of patients and caregivers in health education.

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