Curriculum on Developmental Disabilities in Family Medicine Residency

Abstract

Some Family Medicine residency training programs are going through changes since the Single Graduate Medical Education (GME) Accreditation System was implemented. In this time of exponential growth this is the time for incorporating curriculum on patients with developmental disabilities (DD) during family medicine residency. During the 2017 American Medical Association House of Delegates (AMA HOD) a resolution was passed calling for GME to begin a curriculum on treating children and adults with DD. During the 2018 AOA House of Delegates a resolution was approved as amended on implementing curriculum regarding the care of people with DD. This resolution along with new topics emerging in the field of developmental disability shows the need for training in family medicine residency programs. In order to meet the growing need of physicians trained in the care of patients with DD family medicine residency programs should implement a standardized curriculum on patients with DD. Family Medicine trainees will use the skills they learned during this curriculum in their practices, and will feel comfortable treating a patient with DD. Barriers exist for patients with DD to have appropriate access to healthcare, and the osteopathic family medicine community can help to limit these barriers. The time is now for the FM GME community to include a standardized curriculum for patients with DD.