Factors associated with declaration of disability in medical students and junior doctors, and the association of declared disability with academic performance: observational study using data from the UK Medical Education Database, 2002–2018 (UKMED54)

ObjectivesTo examine factors associated with declaration of disability by medical students and doctors, and the association of declared disability with academic performance.DesignObservational study using record-linked data collected between 2002 and 2018.SettingUK Medical Education Database is a repository of data relating to training of medical students and doctors. Disability and other data are record-linked.ParticipantsAll students starting at a UK medical school between 2002 and 2018 (n=135 930).Main outcome measuresDeclared disability was categorised by the Higher Education Statistics Authority. Outcomes related to undergraduate academic performance included scores in the educational performance measure (EPM), prescribing safety assessment and situational judgement test. Performance in postgraduate examinations was studied, as well as prior attainment in school examinations and aptitude tests.ResultsSpecific learning disability (SLD) was the most commonly declared disability (3.5% compared with the next most commonly declared disability at 1.0% of n=129 345 all cases in the study), and during the period covered by the data, SLD declarations increased from 1.4% (n=6440 for students starting in 2002) to 4.6% (n=8625 for students starting in 2018). In a logistic regression, the following factors predicted recording of SLD on entry to medical school ((exp(B)±95% CI), p