GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION最新文献

Background: Dementia is a global challenge, but one that is hampered by inadequate knowledge and skills among health care professionals (HCPs).

Objectives: This study aims to scope the range of interventions available for HCPs to improve their knowledge, diagnosis, and management of dementia. The scoping review was conducted to determine the extent of the interventions in terms of scope, intensity, duration, geographical areas represented, and methodologies used.

Research design and methods: Online databases were used to identify papers published 2000-2024. We included studies that contained keywords relating to educational interventions that focused on health professionals' knowledge, detection, and management of dementia. Additional papers were obtained through citation searches and by examining the reference lists.

Results: Thirty-one articles, the majority from developed countries, were included in this review. Collaborative practice-based workshops, community-based interactive learning activities, and multimodal educational programs were the most effective interventions. Educational interventions are linked to HCPs' confidence levels and are an essential step in understanding dementia characteristics, causes, risks, and paths to health promotion.

Conclusions: HCPs can benefit from models that emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge, detection, and management of dementia. The potential to adapt successful models for use in developing countries is a challenge for the future.

Medical schools must prepare their trainees to address the common problems facing an aging society. We developed a medical student curriculum on mobility and fall risk assessment that culminates in a formative standardized patient (SP) activity. We present this curriculum focusing on our growth-oriented multisource feedback approach. Following a didactic session, students participate in an SP encounter, a note station, and a self-assessment. Each student is provided with a highly individualized feedback report broken down by five skills evaluated by the SP, a faculty rater and/or the student themselves. Skills include 1) communication/professionalism, 2) physical examination, 3) history taking/reporting, 4) assessment and care planning, and 5) self-assessment. Each skill is graded as "exceeds," "meets," "partially meets," or "does not meet expectations." Detailed formative comments are provided regardless of level of performance. Of the 397 students who completed the curriculum, 157 (39.5%) had at least one skill not fully meeting expectations. Forty-three students (10.9%) had two skills, nine students (2.3%) had three skills, and three students (0.8%) had four skills not fully meeting expectations. While students overall performed at a high level, the detailed formative feedback provided each student with a clear path for growth and improvement.

Education in the care of older people, beginning at undergraduate-level, will help to meet the needs of our aging population. Thus, we need to understand why and in what ways medical students have difficulty engaging with older people and geriatric medicine. Twenty-two medical students studying at the University of Bristol (UK) participated in focus groups, exploring their attitudes toward older people and toward geriatric medicine. Five themes were derived using reflexive thematic analysis. Relationships with older relatives contribute toward students' perceptions of older patients and can enhance their empathy. However, some compartmentalize personal experiences from professional practice to mitigate moral distress. Students are aware of ageism, and in turn encounter challenging views among the older population, which both present significant challenges. It was clear that career decision-making is multi-faceted; inspiring role models, welcoming learning environments, and undergraduate experience were all important. Critically, undergraduate exposure to the full breadth of geriatric medicine and the spectrum of aging was key to changing students' negative pre-conceptions about caring for older people and geriatric medicine. Undergraduate medical education offers a crucial point during medical training where we can intervene to improve the attitudes of and inspire career interest in tomorrow's doctors.

Interprofessional education (IPE) enhanced with simulation for pre-licensure health care students can be used to teach a collaborative interprofessional team approach to promote positive health outcomes in the older adult population. Little is known about outcome differences between in-person and virtual IPE. A multi-step, simulation-enhanced IPE was developed based on Wagner's Chronic Care and Constructivism Active Learning theoretical frameworks and implemented in-person and virtually for cohort comparison. Learning outcomes were the advancement of interprofessional collaborative competencies. Two cohorts of students from nursing, pharmacy, counseling, social work, and speech therapy, participated in consecutive Fall semesters (n = 74 in-person, n = 74 virtual). Pre- and post-IPE measures of teamwork using the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS) total and individual items showed within-group advancement of competencies (p = 0.0054 in-person, p = 0.0024 virtual). Comparison between groups of pre/post mean change scores on five ISVS items showed no statistically significant difference. Satisfaction ratings using a researcher-created survey of items on a 5-point Likert scale demonstrated significantly higher scores for in-person education on 7 out of 10 individual items and the overall satisfaction rating, (p < 0.5). Virtual learning has become more commonplace following the pandemic, and these results suggest there are benefits for both methods.

College students often rank working with older adults as low in their future professional aspirations. This study examines factors contributing to interest in working with older adults and provides suggestions for intervention. Data were collected from 385 undergraduate students via an online survey, which included questions about the quality of relationships with a grandparent and other nonfamilial older adults, as well as previous experience and future interest in pursuing a career in an aging-related field. Path analyses using hierarchical multiple regression reveal that relationships with nonfamilial older adults significantly predict career interest (β = .140, p = .019), whereas relationships with grandparents do not (β = .057, p = .328). Relationships with nonfamilial older adults also significantly predict cognitive frameworks: ageism (β = -.215, p < .001) and positive expectations (β = .144, p = .017). As expected, ageism is associated with reduced interest in an aging-related internship or career (β = -.231, p < .001), while positive expectations regarding aging are related to enhancing such interest (β = .133, p = .025). The findings suggest that policymakers and colleges can increase students' interest in pursuing aging-related careers by creating opportunities to interact and build relationships with older adults in the community. Examples of successful programs and best practices will be discussed.

Knowledge translation and exchange to promote the health and well-being of older adults requires collaborative relationships between researchers and knowledge users. Students are uniquely positioned to engage with the community and bridge these science-practice gaps. In this paper, we highlight key lessons learned from our interdisciplinary and intergenerational team's critical reflections on our experiences and learnings bringing the LOVOT social robot to engagement sessions with older adults in our community. Our critical reflection process followed the reflection framework by Rolfe et al. (2001), guided by three questions: (1) "What?", (2) "So what?," and (3) "Now what?" We conducted thematic analysis on our collective reflections. Three key learnings emerged from our critical reflections: (1) the values of meaningful interactions between older adults in our community and our team; (2) the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives of older adults in our community; and (3) factors that supported or challenged our community engagement sessions. We conclude with six recommendations for future student-led community engagement sessions.

Background: Nursing students often receive insufficient training in older adults' care.

Purpose: Examine nursing students' perceptions of an e-learning module developed to enhance their knowledge about the comfort, safety, and mobility of older adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to third-year baccalaureate nursing students at a Canadian university after they had completed the comfort, safety, and mobility module. The survey assessed students' perceptions of the e-learning module using four 5-pointLikert-type items. The survey also contained demographic questions and one open-ended question that invited participants to make any comments they wished. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participants'demographic characteristics. Responses to the open-ended quesiton were summative content analyzed.

Results: The survey was completed by 119 participants, who reported that the module increased their confidence, perceptions and knowledge in working with older adults. Participants also found the method of instruction to be convenient, interactive, and enjoyable.

Conclusions: Results suggest that the learning module has the potential to facilitate student nurses' learning about comfort, safety, and mobility.

Enhancing empathy toward older adults among physical therapy students is essential to prepare graduates to be equipped to properly treat geriatric patients in all types of healthcare settings. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of a homemade geriatric suit to simulate an older adult and improve empathy among physical therapy students. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professions student version was utilized to measure empathy-related parameters before and after the geriatric simulation experience. Physical and cognitive performance tests were used to assess the effectiveness of the geriatric suit to simulate typical age-related changes in physical and cognitive performance. Additionally, sociodemographic data were collected such as age, gender and prior experience working with older adults. Following the geriatric simulation suit experience, participants did not demonstrate statistically significant post-intervention empathy scores on the Jefferson Empathy Scale (t = 2.09, p = 0.022). However, patients did demonstrate similar physical scores when compared with older adult norms while wearing the geriatric simulation suit. The geriatric simulation suit experience effectively simulated the aging process, but did not significantly increase empathy in students. The homemade geriatric simulation suit may be a feasible and cost-effective way to simulate typical age-related physical changes in older adults.

The aging population is increasing rapidly in the United States, yet there is a shortage of health care workers to provide services and support for older adults, along with health profession students expressing limited interest in this field. Understanding the factors influencing health profession students' intention to work with older adults is crucial for addressing this workforce shortage. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study surveyed 244 health profession students at a mid-sized public comprehensive university in the Southeast. Structural equation modeling showed a good fit with χ² = 625.981, df = 340, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.918, RMSEA = 0.059, SRMR = 0.064, and TLI = 0.908. The results indicated that attitudes and subjective norms play critical roles in shaping health profession students' intention toward geriatric care. The findings highlighted that educational interventions should focus on improving attitudes toward older adults while leveraging social influence to enhance the desirability of geriatric careers. Future research should explore longitudinal changes in health profession students' attitudes and continue to develop and evaluate targeted interventions on students' career intentions.