Commentary: defining disability in health care education.

According to the 2008 American Community Survey, about 12% of the population of the United States is living with one or more disabling conditions. These conditions impact lives in a variety of ways, some with more or less direct impact on an individual's health and access to health care services. Although it has been 20 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, people with disabilities still experience health disparities and a lack of access to the appropriate care. This commentary is part of a collection of articles that describe various aspects of incorporating content into the medical school curriculum to enhance the preparation of today's medical students to meet the needs of people with disabilities. The authors briefly describe the scope of the problem and define the population of people with disabilities that constitutes the focus of the work described in the other articles in this collection.

Lesson in a pill box: teaching about the challenges of medication adherence.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Medication mismanagement is a serious health issue affecting elders and people with disabilities, who often manage multiple medications. This project's goal was to educate medical and nursing students about the challenges patients face when managing complex medication regimens. METHODS: A total of 104 first-year medical students and 40 second-year nursing students were randomly assigned to participate in a 1-week regimen of mock prescriptions or to read a description of the regimen and make predictions about what the experience would be like had they participated. RESULTS: Quantitative results in combination with qualitative information suggest that the students taking the mock prescriptions gained important insights into the difficulty of managing a complicated medication regimen. DISCUSSION: This mock prescription exercise, well accepted by students and faculty, was easily incorporated into the curriculum and provided an experiential opportunity for students to learn of the difficulties of medication adherence.