Medical education on Medically Unexplauned Symptoms and Intercultural Communication Erasmus Project

Project Title

Medical education on Medically Unexplauned Symptoms and Intercultural Communication

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Migrants’ issues; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Context/background:
About 5% of the European population report symptoms for which the doctor cannot find a medical cause that sufficiently explains their symptoms, even after adequate medical examinations. These Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) are f.e. chronic fatigue, dizziness, abdominal discomfort, chronic lower back pain or non-cardiac chest pain. MUS represent 30-40% of the caseload of doctors and are one of the most expensive diagnostic categories in Europe. MUS consultations are perceived by many doctors as very difficult, especially when patients are from different ethnic minorities, have invalidating symptoms without underlying pathology and face substantial functional impairment. MUS and intercultural doctor-patient communication (IC) don’t get enough attention in undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching in European countries despite the weight of the problem in healthcare. Hence most doctors feel incompetent to define with their patients a shared problem definition and are easily triggered to perform more additional medical investigations than guidelines suggest, while patients often feel misunderstood. Crucial challenges in MUS intercultural doctor-patient communication are dealing with differences in perspectives, values and beliefs about illness.

Objectives:
To better prepare European doctors for their daily clinical encounters with ethnic minority MUS patients the MUSIC project had 5 objectives:
– developing a competency profile on patient-centered communication on MUS and IC,
– synthesizing expertise on MUS and IC into accessible information for medical students, residents and faculties,
– developing blended training for teachers on MUS and IC,
– developing blended training for medical students on MUS and IC,
– developing a blended Small Private Online Course (SPOC) for residents aimed at patient-centered communication on MUS and IC.

Number and type of participants:
– Teachers: 55 medical teachers have been trained through an online course and in person on patient-centered communication on MUS & IC.
– Medical students:460 Bachelor students and 782 Master students in Medicine have received education on MUS & IC.
– Residents: 106 residents were trained by the renewed Blended Learning on MUS & IC.

Description of undertaken activities:
5 Intellectual Outputs were realized and 3 Multiplier Events were organized. Monthly online meetings were held by the partnership to monitor the progress of activities. Additionally 8 Transnational Project Meetings were held to facilitate the interaction with stakeholders and deepen the cooperation as partners.

Results attained:
– a competency profile focused on MUS and intercultural communication on four levels (Ba, Ma students, residents and teacher).
– an online platform with validated and qualified information, resources and practical tools on MUS and intercultural communication for medical students, residents and teachers,
– a blended Teacher Programme on MUS and Intercultural doctor-patient communication accredited for Continuing Medical Education
– a training programme on MUS and Intercultural Communication for Bachelor students
– a blended Training programme on MUS and Intercultural Communication for Master students
– a SPOC on MUS and Intercultural Communication for residents,
– a narrative review in Journal Medical & Clinical Research, titled ‘Perceptions and attitudes of health care givers and patients on MUS: a narrative review with focus on cultural diversity and migrants’.
– Manuscript titled ‘Education on MUS: a systematic review with a focus on cultural diversity and migrants’ is submitted in 2021 to Journal Medical Education Online, under review.
– implementation and dissemination of the developed training programmes has been accomplished by the staff of the MUSIC partnership in the curricula of the medical faculties. In some of the modules migrant training actors or patients take part in the education.
– the article ‘Epidemiology and organisation of care in MUS: a systematic review with a focus on cultural diversity and migrants’ has been published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, 2021.

Impact attained:
Students (Ba/Ma), teachers and residents have gained more know how, skills and a better understanding and attitude how to deal with complex consultations on migrant patients with MUS.
The participating organisations improved their education for students, residents and teachers, and contributed to better health care for MUS patients from minority groups.

Longer term benefits:
An improved healthcare for MUS patients from minority groups, less costs due to more effective consultations with ethnic minority MUS patients and less unnecessary referrals, reinforcement of efficient healthcare networks focused on migrant patients with MUS and a better cooperation between primary and secondary care in the region as well as between mental health care and somatic care concerning ethnic minority MUS patients.

Project Website

http://www.mups-music.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 370642 Eur

Project Coordinator

ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM & Country: NL

Project Partners

• Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent
• SZEGEDI TUDOMANYEGYETEM