Abstract Details

Objective:
To strengthen medical students’ neurological examination skills and understanding of the patient perspective by adapting a successful UK Expert Patient Tutor (EPT) program for third-year students in a US community-based medical school.

Background:
Neurology EPTs are individuals with chronic neurological conditions, namely multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, or peripheral neuropathy. Using their lived experience, EPTs demonstrate hallmark symptoms and signs of nervous system dysfunction, allowing students to directly ‘observe’ and ‘feel’ to understand clinical phenomena and how their conditions affect the neurological examination through guided instruction and feedback from expert clinicians. The UK program significantly enhanced students’ clinical confidence and competence in a research-intensive medical school. We evaluated whether this model could be adopted effectively in a US setting.

Methods:
EPTs were recruited via neurologists and the director of the standardized patient program and received training on providing feedback by a neurologist before teaching groups of four students, supervised by a clinician. Students rotated through three 30-minute sessions highlighting the features of the three conditions. Pre- and post-session surveys were administered to 47 students, and EPTs provided feedback about their participation.

Results:
Survey completion was 47% (pre) and 45% (post). Post-surveys showed marked gains in knowledge, confidence and competence in neurological assessment, along with reduced “neurophobia.” The proportion of students able to summarize key neurology concepts rose from 41% to 95%. Qualitative feedback emphasized improved understanding of patients’ lived experiences and the challenges of chronic neurological disease. EPTs valued contributing to medical education: “The mission of the program is amazing and I’m glad to help.”