An interprofessional graduate level training program (patient as teacher): A patient-centered, skills-based approach to dementia

Abstract

There are currently over 5 million people with Alzheimer's disease in the United States. Knowledge of how to care for this population is critical for health care providers regardless of specialty or profession. Programs have successfully exposed medical students to the experience of dementia by pairing student volunteers with patients. We expanded this program to be an interprofessional, elective course offered as part of graduate medical curriculum. The Memory and Aging Center (MAC) is a state and federally funded Alzheimer's Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The campus is focused on graduate education for health professions. Using the Northwestern University Buddy Program ™ as a model, we developed a full year interprofessional elective course offered through the School of Medicine and available to medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and physical therapy students. Course work includes 2 hours per month spent with a patient with mild dementia (the teacher) and a written description of the experience submitted for review by faculty. One hour of class per month alternates didactic learning topics taught by interprofessional faculty (diagnosis of dementia, management of behavioral symptoms, medications in dementia and palliative care issues) with discussions about the experience, allowing cross-professional learning. Nine patients diagnosed with mild dementia were recruited from the UCSF MAC. Nine students enrolled (3 from Nursing, 1 from Dentistry, 1 from Medicine and 4 from Pharmacy). Students and teachers submitted a brief biography to faculty for matching. The first class was attended by 8/9 students in October 2014. An introductory reception was held later that month and attended by 9 students and 8/9 teachers. Outings started in November and included exercise, dining and museum visits. The journal submissions indicate a positive experience for students, including insight into the struggles people with dementia face in their everyday lives. Evaluation will include pre and post tests of dementia knowledge as well as course evaluations by both patients and students. An experience previously validated through research as a volunteer program, has the potential to be integrated into formal curriculum and successfully offered as an interprofessional opportunity.