Virtual Electronic Health Record (EHR)

The use of Teaching Electronic Health Record (tEHR) in the M Delta curriculum is the result of a collaboration with Indiana University, fostered by the joint participation of both institutions in the American Medical Association's (AMA) CHANGEMEDED project. Through this project the AMA has invited a number of medical schools across the country to participate in a collaborative to transform medical education.

Utilizing the innovative small group learning format of M Delta, the tEHR is being used to weave the biopsychosocial model throughout the Stage 1 curriculum. The tEHR, along with three virtual families, is used to place a patient face on basic science content, and contexutalze issues related to health systems, behavioral health, and medical ethics in the framework of social determinants. The overall goal is to create an educational environment that is conducive to the success of UConn's diverse student population and ultimately produce a workforce well-suited to meet the healthcare needs of diverse populations.

Why Virtual Families

Virtual Families:

  • Present curricular content in a clinical setting
  • Foster patient-centered learning, biopsychosocial model
  • Are an ideal mechanism for representing social determinants and bringing issues of diversity into the UME curriculum

And most importantly

  • Families define the social-cultural, behavioral, biological/genetic, and physical Environment
  • Account for 25% of health outcomes, regardless of biological relationships (e.g., known genetic factors for CAD explain only 10% of the total estimated variation in CAD/myocardial infarction heritability)

Why Social Determinants of Health

Inclusion of social determinants of health (SDH):

  • Is an intentional effort to use the structure and content of curriculum to promote Diversity and Inclusion
  • Imbeds issues related to diversity (culture, race, ethnicity, inequity, social justice) into the core curriculum and into the social process of learning
  • Serves as a way to normalize the lived experiences of diverse students and bring issues that resonate with them into the learning environment
  • Creates space for diverse students to affirm their identities in ways that might not occur otherwise

The Importance of Diversity in UME

  • 2010 census
    • Over 25% of U.S. population identifies as minority or mixed race
    • 11% (33 million) of the population identified as 2nd generation immigrant
  • By 2040, 17% of population will be foreign-born immigrants
  • Hartford is majority minority
  • For the sake of minority students, perhaps the curriculum considered core and thus of fundamental value for all students - could include in-depth material reflecting the history and perspective of multiple groups in American society. (Whistling Vivaldi)