Out of the classroom, into the home: Medical and dental students' lessons learned from a Geriatrics home visit

Abstract

Background: Home visits are an important part of Geriatrics education for medical and dental students (MS), and the lessons learned by students from these experiences inform further curriculum development. A mixed methods analysis of students' lessons learned from a single Geriatrics home visit shapes the future focus and impact of similar educational programs to ultimately improve the care of older adults. Methods: Over a 3-year period at Harvard Medical School, approximately 495 first year MS participated in an educational Geriatrics home visit to learn about the geriatric assessment. Three hundred and forty-eight students completed voluntary anonymous evaluation forms, rating whether their interest in geriatrics increased after the home visit and describing two lessons learned. We analyzed the student responses and conducted a qualitative content analysis of the lessons learned, identifying major themes within the Geriatrics 5Ms Framework (Mobility, Mind, Medications, Multicomplexity, and Matters Most).Results: Most students (70.7%) reported their interest in Geriatrics somewhat or greatly increased after the home visit. Three hundred and ten students (89% of participants) reported 605 lessons learned; 174 students' lesson learned related to Multicomplexity (56.1%), and 158 students reported a lesson related to Mobility (51%).Discussion: After a Geriatrics home visit, a majority of students report an increase interest in Geriatrics. The most common lessons learned relate to Mobility and Multicomplexity, essential areas of focus in a Geriatrics curriculum. Educational home visits are an important opportunity to increase student interest in geriatrics and build their skills to improve the care of older adults using the Geriatrics 5Ms Framework.

Geriatrics Education: Phone Calls With Older Adults and Medical Students

“…For example, relationship building, the second most-cited theme, was attributed to high job satisfaction in working in geriatrics. 8 Additionally, the themes of transformation of preconceived notions and greater understanding of older adults are powerful findings because lack of exposure and negative perceptions of older adults are barriers to students pursuing geriatrics. 5 Furthermore, communication skills and self-compassion are critical clinical skills for future primary care physicians.…”

Optimizing Medications with the Geriatrics 5Ms: An Age-Friendly Approach

“…Recognizing the challenges and opportunities with providing care to an aging population, health profession education programs are developing creative modules guided by these frameworks [30][31][32]. At our own institution, we developed the Geriatrics 5Ms pocket card for medical and dental students as a teaching tool that could be carried on the wards as a resource to guide holistic care for older patients [33], as well as home visits with older adult patients grounded in the concepts of the 5Ms [34]. One small longitudinal pilot of an interactive case-based workshop for primary care residents found high satisfaction amongst participants and improved confidence in applying the elements of the 5Ms in older adult care, with 83% of participants indicating an interest in utilizing medication and pharmacy resources at the conclusion of the workshop compared with 19% prior [35].…”