Developing a curriculum in obstetric and gynecologic person-centered care to bridge research and practice

The US has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of high-income countries, and quality of health care may play a role. The US maternal mortality crisis has resulted in growing awareness of the need for obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) professionals trained in person-centered care. Person-centered care considers patients’ goals, values, medical history, and preferences. From the provider’s viewpoint, this means engaging in supportive provider-patient communication and shared decision-making. However, courses for medical learners that take into account community-member perspectives of person-centered care are lacking. Moreover, a critical area of knowledge often left out of current curricula in obstetrics and gynecology is critically appraising research in person-centered care, specifically as it relates to quality of care and patient experience. A strong data-driven research foundation is essential to promoting quality in OB/GYN health care. Nearly half of medical schools require research in their curriculum with the understanding that research skills are essential even in a primarily clinical medical career. Furthermore, OB/GYN physicians increasingly work in Learning Health Systems where research skills are necessary to effectively integrate evidence-based practices. A course on person-centered health care targeting all medical student learners that is adaptable and uses novel reflective learning is needed to bridge research and practice. Our overall goal is to develop a curriculum for medical student learners about person-centered care in OB/GYN. The course will create new didactic modules in topics including non-medical drivers of health, patient-provider communication, shared decision-making, and patient experience. Cross-cutting themes will be best practices in research, biologic mechanisms, and interventions. The didactic training will be implemented during the OB/GYN clerkship incorporating tools from narrative and graphic medicine (e.g. use of comics to communicate healthcare concepts).