Active and direct patient participation in health professions education: A narrative overview of literature from the global south

Authors

Ayesha Jawwad, School of Medicine, Ulster University, Magee campus Londonderry, UK; School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Electronic address: a.jawwad@ulster.ac.uk.
Zareen Zaidi, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington D.C., USA.
Subha Ramani, Harvard Medical School and Adjunct Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Professions Education, Boston, MA, USA.
Herman E. Popeijus, School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, the Netherlands; Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School for Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
Marjan Govaerts, School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Maastricht University, the Netherlands.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

6-1-2025

Journal

Patient education and counseling

Volume

135

DOI

10.1016/j.pec.2025.108734

Keywords

Active patient involvement; Direct patient involvement; Education; Global south; Health Professions Education; Patient participation; Patients as educators

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Patients traditionally played a passive role in health professions education (HPE). However, their active involvement is increasingly valued, particularly in higher-resourced regions of the world known as the Global North. This study explores active and direct patient involvement in HPE contexts in the Global South (GS) regions of the world. METHODS: A narrative review of literature was conducted, utilising a systematic search of multiple electronic databases. 3966 abstracts were identified, and 80 full texts were reviewed. Ultimately, five papers were included in the final corpus. RESULTS: The selected studies were set in five GS countries, involving undergraduate, postgraduate medical and pharmacy training. Real patients, their caregivers and standardized patients acted as teachers or assessors focusing on learners' history-taking, communication skills, and professionalism. Challenges included cultural sensitivity and safety concerns, e.g. during home visits. Educators faced difficulties in patient recruitment, training and compensation. CONCLUSION & PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Active and direct patient involvement in HPE within GS contexts remains limited. Current efforts focus on patients as teachers or assessors, with little contribution to educational design, instruction and mentoring. Educators may be overlooking the potential of diverse cultural perspectives to enhance patient engagement in HPE, making this a valuable area for future research.

APA Citation

Jawwad, Ayesha; Zaidi, Zareen; Ramani, Subha; Popeijus, Herman E.; and Govaerts, Marjan, "Active and direct patient participation in health professions education: A narrative overview of literature from the global south" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 6723.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/6723

Department

Medicine