The value of community outreach programs is increasingly recognized in medical education, as they can meaningfully integrate patient perspectives into student education, add a humanistic element to learning, and build first-hand knowledge about diseases future physicians will encounter. 

The PD Buddy Program aims to build connections between Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and medical students. Program objectives are two-fold: 1) give patients the opportunity to share their experience and lessen their sense of isolation; 2) improve students’ PD knowledge and increase their level of empathy and friendship. 

Twenty-four PD patients were recruited from University of Louisville Movement Disorders clinic and the PD Support Center of Kentuckiana and matched with twenty-four first-year medical students from University of Louisville School of Medicine. Students completed a PD knowledge test, Jefferson Empathy Scale and NIH-toolbox Friendship measure. Patients were given  the following quality of life instruments pre- and post-program: PDQ-8, Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities, Self-Efficacy, Social Isolation and Friendship NIH-toolbox measures. Buddy pairs participated monthly in shared activities. Additionally, students attended lectures on PD-related topics and three focus groups.

Outcome data from the third year of the program is presented. Over 8 months, buddy pairs met 5.5 times on average, reporting an overwhelmingly positive experience. Patients experienced significant enhancement in self-efficacy (t(10) = -6.08, p < .001) and diminished social isolation (t (11) = 2.57, p < .05). Students demonstrated significant increase in PD knowledge (t (15) = -4.71, p < .001) and Friendship scores (t (17) = -2.89, p < .05). 

The PD Buddy Outreach program is an initiative for patients and first-year medical students to engage on a personal level, gain new perspectives and contribute to medical education. We show that the program provides a learning platform that mutually benefits students and patients.