Abstract Background/Aims There has been a recent shift in the role of patients in healthcare professional training. This is reflected in both General Medical Council guidance and multiple publications which advocate for a role for patients as teachers. This is crucial both for future patients and educators, as it has been shown to benefit “learners’ empathy, communication skills and development of patient centred professional identities”. Towle et al. describe 6 levels of involvement ranging from 1 ‘paper or electronic patient scenario-based’ to 6 ‘involvement of patients at the institutional level as patient teachers in education, evaluation and curriculum development’. Methods We report the development of a British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) course called ‘Patient Voices’ with Towle level 5 patient involvement- ‘patient teachers as equal partners in student education, evaluation and curriculum development.’ A multidisciplinary steering group was set up with patient, medical, specialist nurse and AHP involvement. Key topics were chosen: communication, supporting behaviour change/engaging patients in care, disability, and diversity, and working with patient partners in service design and research. Each of the four unique sessions had content and learning outcomes created in collaboration with patient partners. Content delivery ranged from patient- and clinician-shared presentations to patient interviews. Patient organisations were invited to attend and support the course. Delegate satisfaction was assessed using mixed methods. Results Seventy people attended the ‘Patient Voices’ course which was held in person at a venue in central London. The audience comprised a mixture of medical, academic, nursing and AHP clinicians, patient organisations and patient partners. Delegate feedback: mean overall satisfaction score was 4.6 out of 5, with 100% reporting that the course learning objectives were met, and 95% stating that they’d change their way of practising as a result of attending. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Representative quotes included: “An amazing day. I learned so much, thank you. I have never been to a course where I have written down so many useful quotes, taken away so much helpful advice, or been given such a vivid insight into the patient experience. All the speakers were impressive: well prepared, thoughtful, articulate, and passionate about their topic,” - Delegate. “The most inspiring course I have ever attended!” - Delegate. “Still buzzing from having been in a room full of clinicians who genuinely cared what we as patients feel,” - Patient partner. Conclusion Overall, the course was extremely positive and impactful, although the attendance numbers were lower than we had hoped for. The challenge to us all is how can we integrate the patient voice into all that we do educationally? And how can we raise the importance of this amongst our community? The time for action is now. Disclosure P.A. Watson: None. R. Benson: Other; Rosalind is employed by the BSR as digital learning editor. G. Bishop: None. D. Finney: Other; educational events with Novartis and UCB. F. Gordon: Other; Chair of meetings for Johnson and Johnson and UCB, national steering group Johnson and Johnson. M. Lyon: None. K. Maxey: None. M. Sloan: Grants/research support; funding for research from NIHR, Lupus UK, The Lupus Trust, SRUK and Vasculitis UK. D. Southam: None. S. Ellis: None.
Watson et al. (Wed,) studied this question.