Although national accreditation standards expect clinicians to be aware of socioeconomic barriers that impact patient care, no national curriculum existed. A local needs assessment revealed that exposing U-M residents to an informal curriculum through training in underserved clinical settings resulted in no significantly improved knowledge of content essential to the care of the homeless and uninsured.

 

To fill this gap, an interprofessional group with members from medical education, nursing, social work, internal medicine, pediatrics, communications, and graphic design developed an interactive, web-based curriculum regarding public healthcare systems and bio-psychosocial care for at-risk populations. Designed to be highly scalable and to serve as an open source national resource, the curriculum is housed at a professionally designed website. Individualized learner dashboards guide users through 7 case-based modules, as well as a game that integrates core content into an enjoyable, low-risk learning experience. The modular format supports flexible implementation options, including small group learning. Educators may access a complete syllabus, implementation information, knowledge assessment tracking, and tools for clinical skills feedback, making this a turnkey training program that meets accreditation standards.

 

Preliminary quantitative outcome data demonstrate highly significant improvement in multiple choice exam scores following exposure to the modules and game.