“Walking a Day in My Shoes”: A Clinical Shadowing Program to Enhance Medical Students’ Understanding of Chronic Disease Management Beyond Clinical Settings
Aims/Background: Medical education is largely clinical and biomedical with little emphasis being put upon the social determinants of health (SDH) and patient-centredness. A programme entitled “Walking a Day in My Shoes” was devised as a pilot cohort study with the view of evaluating the impact of a...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Clinics and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/15/5/94 |
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| author | Aidan Hilton Waseem Jerjes |
| author_facet | Aidan Hilton Waseem Jerjes |
| author_sort | Aidan Hilton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aims/Background: Medical education is largely clinical and biomedical with little emphasis being put upon the social determinants of health (SDH) and patient-centredness. A programme entitled “Walking a Day in My Shoes” was devised as a pilot cohort study with the view of evaluating the impact of a clinical shadowing experience upon the empathy, SDH awareness, and patient-centredness of medical students. Methods: A prospective cohort study, involving 28 final-year London-area medical students, employing a three-phase teaching programme comprising preparation, observation, and reflection was carried out. Students’ confidence in the management of non-medical barriers, SDH awareness, and empathy before and after shadowing were measured using pre- and post-shadowing questionnaires. Qualitative analysis of patient feedback and journals also occurred. Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed in students’ empathy (mean score increase from 6.8 to 8.9, <i>p</i> < 0.001), understanding of SDH (advanced comprehension rose from 35% to 93%), confidence in addressing non-clinical barriers (from 39% to 86%), and awareness of logistical challenges (from 31% to 81%). Qualitative analysis highlighted key themes, including systemic barriers (transportation, polypharmacy, and social isolation) and students’ increased awareness of the emotional toll of chronic illness. Patients expressed high satisfaction, with 97% agreeing that the programme improved students’ understanding of chronic disease management. These findings suggest the programme’s practicality and scalability in medical education. Conclusions: This pilot cohort study demonstrated the significant enhancement of the students’ empathy, perception of SDH, and patient-centredness preparation through immersive shadowing. The findings support the use of experiential learning programmes as curricular interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a91c26e656cf4c3e88269199092be299 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2039-7283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Clinics and Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-a91c26e656cf4c3e88269199092be2992025-08-20T01:56:16ZengMDPI AGClinics and Practice2039-72832025-05-011559410.3390/clinpract15050094“Walking a Day in My Shoes”: A Clinical Shadowing Program to Enhance Medical Students’ Understanding of Chronic Disease Management Beyond Clinical SettingsAidan Hilton0Waseem Jerjes1Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UKDepartment of Primary Care and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UKAims/Background: Medical education is largely clinical and biomedical with little emphasis being put upon the social determinants of health (SDH) and patient-centredness. A programme entitled “Walking a Day in My Shoes” was devised as a pilot cohort study with the view of evaluating the impact of a clinical shadowing experience upon the empathy, SDH awareness, and patient-centredness of medical students. Methods: A prospective cohort study, involving 28 final-year London-area medical students, employing a three-phase teaching programme comprising preparation, observation, and reflection was carried out. Students’ confidence in the management of non-medical barriers, SDH awareness, and empathy before and after shadowing were measured using pre- and post-shadowing questionnaires. Qualitative analysis of patient feedback and journals also occurred. Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed in students’ empathy (mean score increase from 6.8 to 8.9, <i>p</i> < 0.001), understanding of SDH (advanced comprehension rose from 35% to 93%), confidence in addressing non-clinical barriers (from 39% to 86%), and awareness of logistical challenges (from 31% to 81%). Qualitative analysis highlighted key themes, including systemic barriers (transportation, polypharmacy, and social isolation) and students’ increased awareness of the emotional toll of chronic illness. Patients expressed high satisfaction, with 97% agreeing that the programme improved students’ understanding of chronic disease management. These findings suggest the programme’s practicality and scalability in medical education. Conclusions: This pilot cohort study demonstrated the significant enhancement of the students’ empathy, perception of SDH, and patient-centredness preparation through immersive shadowing. The findings support the use of experiential learning programmes as curricular interventions.https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/15/5/94medical educationempathysocial determinants of healthexperiential learningpatient-centred care |
| spellingShingle | Aidan Hilton Waseem Jerjes “Walking a Day in My Shoes”: A Clinical Shadowing Program to Enhance Medical Students’ Understanding of Chronic Disease Management Beyond Clinical Settings Clinics and Practice medical education empathy social determinants of health experiential learning patient-centred care |
| title | “Walking a Day in My Shoes”: A Clinical Shadowing Program to Enhance Medical Students’ Understanding of Chronic Disease Management Beyond Clinical Settings |
| title_full | “Walking a Day in My Shoes”: A Clinical Shadowing Program to Enhance Medical Students’ Understanding of Chronic Disease Management Beyond Clinical Settings |
| title_fullStr | “Walking a Day in My Shoes”: A Clinical Shadowing Program to Enhance Medical Students’ Understanding of Chronic Disease Management Beyond Clinical Settings |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Walking a Day in My Shoes”: A Clinical Shadowing Program to Enhance Medical Students’ Understanding of Chronic Disease Management Beyond Clinical Settings |
| title_short | “Walking a Day in My Shoes”: A Clinical Shadowing Program to Enhance Medical Students’ Understanding of Chronic Disease Management Beyond Clinical Settings |
| title_sort | walking a day in my shoes a clinical shadowing program to enhance medical students understanding of chronic disease management beyond clinical settings |
| topic | medical education empathy social determinants of health experiential learning patient-centred care |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/15/5/94 |
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