Major Themes From Qualitative Evaluation of Final Program (2020–21) and Select Illustrative Quotes
| Focus on patient perspective and experience is highly valuable |
| “[What I liked best was] hearing the patient's perspective on how their diagnosis affects their life and the factors that go into their decisions (e.g., whether to get surgery, medications, etc.).”—Resident “Great to hear about specifically about patient worries, hopes and values as it pertained to the role of epilepsy surgery.”—Resident “I think it is really important to get the patient's perspective but also to see a patient who is doing really quite well. I think for whatever reason MS gets kind of [negative reputation] … I want to give a strong voice and accurate information to the next crop of physicians/neurologists.”—Patient |
| Series format is unique and effective |
| “[It] is more engaging because we are hearing firsthand from the patient and their neurologist.”—Resident “The format [worked well] with practitioner and patient with a moderator to help facilitate. It's good to have pre-emptive slides that cover major topics or themes that are expected to be covered during the session.”—Resident “One thing I thought worked really well was that there were 3 voices: myself, the patient and [the moderator]. This helped to keep things engaging and interesting for the residents.”—Faculty |
| Increased understanding of outpatient topics not covered elsewhere |
| “We have precious little [teaching] in outpatient neurology in a program largely pressed into service of inpatient care … this series stands out as one of the few to explore and demonstrate management of complex and chronic neurological care.”—Resident “Helpful to frame the world of outpatient neurology, which is most of the field.”—Resident “I think exposure to common outpatient scenarios…is really important and helpful, to expose young neurologists to what is out there. Residents do not see a lot of the common outpatient conditions.”—Faculty |
| Interaction between the physician and the patient offers insight into shared decision making |
| “I learned that patients have a lot to offer in their expertise with the disease.”—Resident “Implicitly, I think they might learn that outpatient management is a long-term relationship that involves both diagnostic and management shared decisions.”—Faculty “The patient matters. It will take time between the neurologist and the patient; a lot of working together to find the best solution.”—Patient |
| Modeling and instilling values of humanism |
| “Refreshing and wonderful connection to outpatient neurology and the patient experience. … Really helped to instill the humanistic component of practicing neurology into our learning.”—Resident “The extreme anxiety with an unpredictable paroxysmal disorder that really requires a doctor as mentor so patient doesn't feel as scared…You can't lecture on that.”—Faculty “On a personal level, I think how you present life-changing news to patients is vitally important. If somebody remembers what I experienced in a bad moment when they are being told they have 10 things to do but need to go tell this patient a tough diagnosis, maybe they will remember to think about it, take a moment, turn off their pager, and…recognize how impactful the conversation will be.”—Patient “I wish they could be more positive with their patients. It is brutal to hear ‘we don't know if you will get better.’ I hope that they say that there are ways that you can better, that there is support for you.”—Patient “You have to believe your patient. That is the hardest part. A lot of people do not know about this diagnosis of [FND], but now I hope they know. You don't just want to say ‘you're stressed out.’”—Patient |
| Unique benefits for patients: understanding, contribution, and hope |
| Understanding “To sit down and see the slides on the screen and hear [my doctor] talk about [my diagnosis] was very helpful for me. I liked hearing it again…it helped me understand my condition a little bit better.”—Patient “I was also just reminded about the progress I have made. I didn't know that PT was such a scarce resource for people with FND, that makes me so sad. I want to be part of the solution to help address this problem!”—Patient Contribution “I loved that I could share my truth. The residents and my outpatient doctor told me that they were impacted by this, which felt so great…It made me feel like [the residents] really heard me.”—Patient Hope “I learned my doctor cares if I meet my dreams in life, that made me cry. He is working to make this happen. I knew doctors care, but it was unbelievable to learn that my doctor cares this much.”—Patient |