The Impact of an Interactive Art Session on Resident Physicians' Views Towards Treating Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Qualitative Analysis

BACKGROUND: Many physicians feel uncomfortable caring for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This discomfort can be a barrier to individuals with IDD accessing age-appropriate and high-quality health care. One well-established strategy for improving comfort with individuals with IDD is based on contact theory: increasing interactions with dissimilar people can lead to decreased negative attitudes towards that population. Drawing on contact theory, we implemented interactive art sessions with medical residents and artists with IDD. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of these sessions on residents' comfort treating patients with IDD. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with residents who participated in the interactive art sessions, and a qualitative thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Interviews yielded the following four themes: (1) additional exposure to people with IDD helped increase participants' comfort caring for patients with IDD; (2) art sessions helped participants learn how to navigate challenges related to clinical interviewing, assessment, and patient communication; (3) the format of the art sessions created an environment that facilitated connection; and (4) participants were able to acknowledge biases. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing contact theory led to a successful program where resident physicians gained the opportunity to engage with adults with IDD in a unique way, allowing them to gain experience communicating with this population and see them as dynamic individuals rather than solely patients. This led to increased comfort treating patients with IDD.