Learning Differences in Medical Education

NCT07585708 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: UNottingham FMHS 153-0525
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 15
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

A learning difference or disability is a reduction in intellectual ability (GMC, 2024). It causes lifelong difficulty with everyday activities. Different individuals require different levels of support. Individuals with learning disability may also have learning difficulties and mental health problems, but these conditions do not always co-exist. Learning difficulties affect the way someone processes information. They are not related to intelligence but can affect learning and education. People with learning differences can experience higher rates of mental and physical ill-health. The individual's life expectancy is shorter than the average for the population. This is related to access and experience of health care. These patients may experience discrimination affecting their healthcare. Discrimination arises from staff and organisational attitudes towards patients and judgements about their quality of life. These individuals' care is also at risk of diagnostic overshadowing where a patient's symptoms are attributed to their disability rather than a disease. Many people with learning disabilities may find it harder to use healthcare services, and the investigators want to find out what challenges these individuals face. For example, do these patient have trouble understanding what is being said to them? Are there issues with getting an appointment or understanding the information about their health? This project focuses on understanding the experiences of people with learning disabilities when they use health services. How easily do can these individuals communicate with their clinician? Are there barriers in accessing care? Do these individuals feel respected and listened to during their appointments? How should healthcare staff be trained to provide better care to these patients? The investigators will be speaking directly to patients with learning disabilities living in Derbyshire. This will be by interviews encouraging the patients to share their thoughts and experiences. The information the investigators gather will help understand these people's experiences of healthcare and how this could be improved. The investigators will also undertake an anonymised survey of medical students on their perceived learning needs regarding individuals with learning differences. This information will be used to develop educational resources for clinical teachers. medical students and staff. Working with the volunteers will better prepare future doctors to provide holistic care for patients with learning differences.

Conditions

Healthcare Access; Learning Disabilities; Experience

Keywords

Learning difference; Learning disability; Healthcare experience; Healthcare access; Medical education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Individual and medical student perspectives on the learning needs and expectations of training of future doctors in healthcare for individuals with learning differences

  Data drawn from interviews with volunteers with personal history of learning difference and a survey of preclinical medical students

  8 months

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Can these needs and expectations be met through a volunteer-led teaching and learning dialogue with graduate entry preclinical students?

  8 months

Study Arms (1)

Learning Difference volunteers

Individuals with either a personal history of learning difference or carer role either as a member member or employed carer

Other: Experience of healthcare

Interventions

Experience of healthcare OTHER

Individual participants experience of access and receiving healthcare. Individuals insights and reflections on the educational needs of doctors and medical students in the needs of individuals with learning differences

Learning Difference volunteers

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals with an experience of learning difference based on personal history or a caring role and graduate entry preclinical students at a single institution in the United Kingdom

You may qualify if:

• Volunteers will be recruited from participants in teaching sessions to GEM medical students held in September and October 2025. This will be using convenience sampling. Up to 120 students currently on the GEM Year 1 preclinical programme at the time of the study will be invited to complete the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Nottingham: lead

Study Sites (1)

Division of Medical Sciences and Graduate Entry Medicine, University of Nottingham Medical School at the Royal Derby Hospital

Derby, DE22 3DT, United Kingdom

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Javaid, A., Nakata, V. and Michael, D. (2019), Diagnostic overshadowing in learning disability: think beyond the disability. Prog. Neurol. Psychiatry, 23: 8-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/pnp.531

  BACKGROUND

• White A, Sheehan R, Ding J, Roberts C, Magill N, Keagan-Bull R, Carter B, Ruane M, Xiang X, Chauhan U, Tuffrey-Wijne I, Strydom A. Learning from lives and deaths - people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) report for 2021 (LeDeR 2021). King's College, London: Autism and learning disability partnership; 2022.

  BACKGROUND

• Doebrich A, Quirici M, Lunsford C. COVID-19 and the need for disability conscious medical education, training, and practice. J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2020;13(3):393-404. doi: 10.3233/PRM-200763.

  PMID: 33252100 BACKGROUND

• Salvador-Carulla L, Martinez-Leal R, Heyler C, Alvarez-Galvez J, Veenstra MY, Garcia-Ibanez J, Carpenter S, Bertelli M, Munir K, Torr J, Van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk HM. Training on intellectual disability in health sciences: the European perspective. Int J Dev Disabil. 2015 Jan;61(1):20-31. doi: 10.1179/2047387713Y.0000000027.

  PMID: 25705375 BACKGROUND

• Gregoire B, Trager L, Blum J. Coproduction in medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic: critical components of successful curricular reform. Int J Qual Health Care. 2021 Nov 29;33(Supplement_2):ii65-ii70. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzab126.

  PMID: 34849964 BACKGROUND

• Towson G, Daley S, Banerjee S. Intellectual disabilities teaching for medical students: a scoping review. BMC Med Educ. 2023 Nov 1;23(1):818. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04766-4.

  PMID: 37915002 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Co-production in healthcare education: Social Care Institute for Excellence;

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Learning Disabilities

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• John PJ Frain

  Univeristy of Nottingham

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Professor John Frain

CONTACT

+447831338172; john.frain@nottingham.ac.uk

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor of Clinical Skills and Medical Education

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2026
• First Posted: May 14, 2026
• Study Start: May 7, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: May 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)