A Longitudinal Early Patient Encounter Program Through a Lens of Relationship-Centered Care

Background Medical education must be aligned with an evolving healthcare environment, emphasizing person-centered, integrated care. Focusing on healthcare relationships in early patient contact (EPC) may help future healthcare professionals to better address patient needs. Objective Evaluating a longitudinal early patient encounter program from a relationship-centered care (RCC) perspective. Design In a longitudinal early patient encounter program, students engaged with an authentic healthcare network through repeated encounters with a patient, the inner circle, and healthcare professionals. The program aimed to foster students’ understanding of healthcare, and to promote a holistic approach of healthcare by incorporating diverse perspectives within the healthcare network, including their own perspective. We conducted a template analysis of a representative sample of students’ learning reports, guided by relationship-centered care theory. Participants First- and second-year undergraduate medical students at the Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands. Main Measures Our main goal was to explore students’ learning about healthcare relationships using the RCC framework. We characterized their learning in terms of knowledge, skills, attitude, and competences. Key Results Student learning was identified in all four dimensions of RCC: unique personhood, empathy, reciprocal learning, and benefit to patient care. They learned from both formal and informal participants within the healthcare network. Students gained knowledge, skills, attitude, and competences regarding healthcare relationships. Authentical reflection fostered students’ awareness of both professional and personal identity formation. Conclusions Applying a RCC perspective can reveal valuable learning outcomes in a longitudinal early patient encounter program. This program enabled students to engage in and learn about holistic, empathic, reciprocal, and meaningful relationships. We hypothesize that this will enable them to better respond to current healthcare challenges like providing person-centered, integrated care.