The main objective is to design, pilot, implement and evaluate the DesignCARE curriculum and course for the students in secondary and post-secondary medical vocational schools that will help them to engage in participatory medicine through the promotion of the development of communication skills and diversity competence, in line with ethical principles. Besides creating the DesignCARE program, the goal of the project is also to train the teachers to be able to design a course that encourages skill development, research-based learning, creativity, and student cooperation among peers and with their teachers. We will train the teachers to use inclusive, collaborative design thinking methods as an innovative educational strategy. Design thinking is a mindset and approach to learning, collaboration, and problem-solving. In practice, the design process is a structured framework for identifying challenges, gathering information, generating potential solutions, refining ideas, and testing solutions. The students will profit by gaining increased capacity to learn in online learning as well as in the group environment, which focuses on both knowledge and skill development.
Vocational education of future healthcare workers plays a crucial role in preparing them to enter the workforce of fast-evolving medicine. One of the crucial changes healthcare system is facing is preparing the workforce and patients for participatory medicine (PM) approach in which the role of patients is changed to more proactive. PM suggests for patients to work in collaboration with their doctors and nurses and take more responsibility for their own health. This change in patient's role has neither been reflected in classrooms nor in the offer of continuous professional development for the teachers in medical vocational schools. DesignCARE addresses the gap identified in vocational schools in field of PM. The project team translated its expertise into training for the teachers and course for students which included different PM aspects: communication skills, empathy, diversity competence, responsible research and innovation and participatory medicine itself. Training in diversity contributes to improving understanding, interaction and communication between the healthcare worker and patients with different backgrounds. Diversity competency can help promote equality, ensuring patients receive treatment according to their needs.