A scoping review to map curriculum resources on health and work in undergraduate medical education in the United Kingdom (UK)

Purpose:

This is part of a larger study looking at improving the health and work (HW) dialogue between future doctors and patients by designing an integrated curriculum addressing communication with service users about staying in/returning to work.

Before developing resources on HW, it is important to understand existing undergraduate programmes. It was through this mapping exercise of medical schools that gaps in medical education were noted.

Theory:

A six-step approach to curriculum development developed by physician educators helped support the theoretical framework employed.

Methods:

A scoping review was undertaken to identify where HW could be integrated within core teaching topics in undergraduate medical education. This information was compiled into a database, which consisted of collating online information on the 41 UK medical schools’ curriculum.

Findings:

This exercise illustrated how teaching topics, resources and models of delivery varied across medical schools. The review identified three types of curriculum styles, with schools having a biopsychosocial, biomedical or an intermediary approach to medical education.

Discussion:

The disparate nature of such curriculum demonstrates how the introduction of new training/education within this realm must complement the existing design.