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Background: Resident‐focused concussion curricula that measure learner behaviours are currently unavailable. We sought to fill this gap by developing and iteratively implementing a Spiral Integrated Concussion Curriculum (SICC). Approach: Programme elements of the concussion curriculum include academic half‐days (AHDs) and three half‐day clinics for first‐ and second‐year family medicine residents. Our SICC utilises social cognitive learning principles, the constructivism paradigm and utilisation‐focused evaluation. Evaluation: A mixed‐method evaluation with a pre‐/post‐test design and interviews was utilised. Surveys and knowledge tests were used to measure knowledge and confidence pre‐AHD and 6 months post‐AHD. Interviews at 6 months explored programme perception and behaviour change. Of the 141 programme attendees, 114 (80%) participated in the pre‐intervention knowledge test and 33 completed the pre‐ and post‐AHD test. Immediate pre‐/post‐testing demonstrated statistically significant improvement in knowledge (p = 0.042). At 6 months post‐AHD, residents in Cycle 1 (n = 5) had a knowledge decrease of 3.33% (p > 0.05). Residents in Cycle 2 (n = 7) had a knowledge increase of 11.6% (p > 0.05). Both cycles of residents had an increase in confidence (Cycle 1: 65.0% [p = 0.025]; Cycle 2: 62.8% [p = 0.0014]). Residents (5 out of 6) reported positive behavioural changes at 6 months. Valued programme elements included concussion diagnosis and management, the self‐study guide resource and the organised structure. Implications: The SICC enriched these residents' learning and fostered sustained knowledge improvement and behavioural change at 6 months post‐intervention. This approach may provide a workable design for future competency‐based curriculum development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In 2016, Case-Based Learning (CBL) entered the preclerkship years of the University of Toronto's Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program. Iterative delivery revisions led to variations in CBL group size, small-group (eight to ten students) and intermediategroup (46-60 students), and format, patient-narratives (detailed written dialogues between patients and medical students eliciting histories and physical exams) and case-reports (patient history and physical examination summaries). First-year medical student and tutor experiences with these variations were explored to understand their strengths and limitations in fostering safe and effective learning and teaching environments. Methods: In 2019 a mixed-method evaluation using surveys, focus groups, and interviews was employed. Survey responses were reported as means and standard deviations and analyzed with two-sample t-tests in Microsoft Excel Version 16.45. Descriptive thematic analysis was conducted with narrative data. Two researchers independently conducted line-by-line coding, and the codes were assembled into categories and themes. Disagreements were resolved and results finalized with the full four-person research team. Tutor and student focus group, survey, and interview data were triangulated. Results: Thirty eight medical students and 12 tutors completed surveys (14% and 15% response rates, respectively). Four student focus groups (n=28) and three tutor interviews were conducted. Students and tutors felt small-group CBL surpassed intermediategroup CBL in fostering safety and engagement. Both groups benefited from combined CBL formats, recommended patientnarratives during early training, and endorsed tutor continuity in fostering safe, tailored learning environments. Conclusions: The reported findings are useful for health profession programs utilizing CBL, especially for early learner training. The conclusions and recommendations outlined herein have contributed to optimizing future iterations of CBL at the University of Toronto. Consideration of a combination of these findings when developing CBL curricula may help other institutions achieve program goals, while ensuring a safe and effective learning and teaching experience for the next generation of healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Over one million Francophone Canadians live in official language minority communities (OLMC) outside of Québec. Availability and accessibility of linguistically appropriate care to these OLMCs is lacking, resulting in poorer quality of care. To help address this health equity gap, the FrancoDoc program was created in 2015 to identify Francophone/Francophile medical students enrolled at medical faculties that use English as their primary language of instruction and equip them with skills to increase their medical French abilities. Little is known, however, about the affordances and limitations of this educational endeavour., Methods: Our qualitative instrumental single case study explored participants' experiences with FrancoDoc, while also examining factors shaping the delivery of linguistically appropriate healthcare services to OLMCs. We conducted semi-structured interviews with medical students from across Canada and thematically analyzed these using a reflexive, inductive approach., Results: Four main themes were derived from 12 interviews: factors facilitating French language learning; barriers to French language learning; contextual factors shaping linguistically appropriate healthcare provision; and recommendations to improve healthcare education to better prepare learners to provide care to OLMCs., Conclusions: Medical student participants are highly motivated to engage in educational activities linked to FrancoDoc. Their efforts are nonetheless frequently impeded by barriers such as time constraints, irregular event programming, lack of regular clinical learning opportunities, and lukewarm support from faculties of medicine. If medical faculties are to realize their obligations to the OLMCs that they serve, recognition of language as a specific social determinant of health and more robust institutional supports for initiatives like FrancoDoc are paramount., Competing Interests: Dr Schrewe has been an unpaid member of the board of directors of RésoSanté Colombie-Britannique since May 2016. In addition, he served in an unpaid role as the UBC faculty representative for the AFMC’s FrancoDoc Collaboration from 2015-2021. Dr Yeuchyk and Dr Elhafid spearheaded the creation of FrancoMed, a centralized online program for learning medical French that received partial funding from the AFMC., (© 2023 Schrewe, Yeuchyk, El Hafid, Nyhof-Young; licensee Synergies Partners.)

Background: The contributions of arts and humanities to medical education are known in the medical education community, but medical schools' offerings vary. The Companion Curriculum (CC) is a student-curated set of optional humanities content for medical students at the University of Toronto. This study evaluates integration of the CC to identify key enabling conditions for medical humanities engagement., Methods: A mixed-methods evaluation gauged usage and perceptions of integration of the CC among medical students using an online survey and focus groups. Narrative data underwent thematic analysis, supported by summary statistics of quantitative data., Results: Half of survey respondents were aware of the CC ( n = 67/130; 52%), and, once prompted with a description, 14% had discussed it in their tutorial groups. Of students using the CC, 80% reported learning something new regarding their roles as communicators and health advocates. Themes were the perceived value of the humanities, internal student barriers, institutional neglect of the humanities, and student critiques and recommendations., Conclusion: Despite participants' interest in medical humanities, our CC remains underused. To improve humanities' visibility in the MD curriculum, our results indicate that greater institutional support, including faculty development and early curricular integration, is required. Further study should explore reasons for gaps between interest and participation., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding sources or conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2023 Axelrod, Brenna, Gershon, Peterkin, Nyhof-Young; licensee Synergies Partners.)