Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric Teaching of Medical Students: A National COMSEP Survey

Abstract

Background: The Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP) pediatric clerkship curriculum is widely followed. To date, there are no known studies on clerkship instruction related to developmental-behavioral pediatric (DBP) curricular elements. Purposes: The goals of this study are to examine pediatric clerkships’ current DBP teaching methods and to identify barriers and solutions to recommended curriculum implementation. Methods: Electronic survey was conducted with COMSEP-member pediatric clerkship directors. Descriptive statistics and qualitative data analysis was conducted. Results: Response rate was 66%. General Pediatricians (87.1%) were mostly responsible for clerkship DBP teaching. Around 18% of directors reported not assessing DBP competencies. Most clerkship directors report time constraints (61.8%) as a barrier to implementing the curriculum, along with faculty availability and resources. Suggested solutions included DBP faculty collaboration and resources. Conclusions: General pediatricians should collaborate with DBP faculty for instructional content creation, and community-based observational opportunities and web-based shared resources could help clerkship directors achieve the COMSEP DBP curriculum competencies.