Connecting with the community: Perceptions of a community tour

TL;DR

This study examines how a community tour program at a medical school helps future doctors understand social factors affecting health and improves their approach to patient care.

Contribution

The study introduces a community-based educational program that enhances medical trainees' awareness of social determinants of health and fosters empathy and advocacy.

Findings

Participants gained insights into community history and social determinants of health.

The program fostered empathy and shifted clinician attitudes toward holistic care.

Participants expressed a desire for increased community involvement and career changes toward advocacy.

Abstract

This study explores the transformative effects of the Community Plunge, an educational program at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSOM), on healthcare delivery, community engagement, and trainee perspectives. It addresses the broader context of health outcomes, where clinical care only accounts for 20%, emphasizing the critical role of social determinants of health (SDOH) and individual behaviors in the remaining 80%.

WFUSOM’s Community Plunge, established in 2002, involves a guided tour of the community, discussions with residents, and debriefing sessions. Qualitative interviews with 20 clinicians were conducted to extract key themes and insights.

The study identified several key outcomes. First, participants gained crucial insights into the community’s history, structural challenges, and prevalent SDOH, enhancing their understanding of the diverse patient populations they serve. Second, the program positively influenced clinician attitudes, fostering empathy, reducing paternalism, and promoting holistic patient care. Third, participants expressed a desire for increased community involvement and reported career trajectory changes toward advocacy and volunteerism. However, challenges such as time constraints were acknowledged.

The study advocates for collaborative efforts to enhance the program’s impact, including proactive measures to ensure respectful engagement during community tours. It positions the Community Plunge as an innovative, scalable, and transformative strategy for experiential SDOH exposure, crucial for the evolving social consciousness of healthcare learners.

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