Abstract
Clinical practise in the ageing population is changing from organ-specific specialty care to holistic care. This is done through comprehensive geriatric assessment and multi-disciplinary team management. Hence, we adopted an approach consisting of multi-professional teachers teaching a Healthcare of Elderly Course (HEC), in a public university in Malaysia. We aimed to analyze the students' attitude, self-perceived competency and interest in geriatric medicine as a career before and after the course. We also investigated variables that might influence this interest among these students. All 96 students in the course were invited to participate in the survey. Sixty-eight (70.8%) completed both pre and post-course questionnaires. Although most students (93%) have a positive attitude (University of California at Los Angeles Geriatric Attitude Scale >3) toward older adults at baseline, it did not significantly increase post-course. We found that the mean scores for self-perceived competency increased from 3.62 (±0.76) to 3.81 (±0.56) post-course (p < 0.01). However, the students remained neutral with no significant change in the mean interest in pursuing a geriatric medicine career after the course. Students with higher self-perceived competency post-course were found to be more interested in geriatric medicine (β = 0.56, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the HEC in our centre could sustain a positive attitude and increase self-perceived competency in students. It is important to increase the preparedness of our graduates in managing older adults with frailty and multimorbidity. Future studies may involve inter-professional education of students from multiple disciplines undergoing the same course to nurture real-life collaborations in managing the ageing population.
Highlights
In a rapidly ageing Asia, where it is projected to be the home of more than half of the aged population of the world by 2050, developing a competent workforce in managing ageing and agerelated diseases becomes an utmost priority [1]
The first national survey on the teaching of geriatric medicine in Malaysian medical schools showed that the most prominent barrier to curriculum delivery was the lack of expertise, followed by the subject not being included in the curriculum
The Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine (MSGM) has developed a recommended undergraduate curriculum for ageing and geriatric medicine tailored for Malaysians [5]
Summary
In a rapidly ageing Asia, where it is projected to be the home of more than half of the aged population of the world by 2050, developing a competent workforce in managing ageing and agerelated diseases becomes an utmost priority [1]. To develop more exposure for the learners and increase doctors with expertise in the field, the Programme Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education [3] has incorporated Geriatric Medicine as one of the core competencies. The curriculum has been validated with understanding of the unique nature and needs of our ageing population. Validation was done through a rigorous Delphi exercise with experts who teach in academic institutions and clinical geriatricians who have worked with medical officers. This combination of experts helped to address the gaps between undergraduate education and real-life practise, and fulfil the principles of outcome-based education
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