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Dedicated teaching block for undergraduate geriatric medicine improves knowledge
Renuka Visvanathan1, Teena Silakong, Solomon Yu
1Aged and Extended Care Services, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide Health Service, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. renuka.visvanathan@adelaide.edu.au
Australasian Journal on Ageing
|December 20, 2011
Summary
Fifth-year medical students showed significant gains in geriatric medicine knowledge after completing a dedicated teaching block. This educational intervention improved their performance on multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Geriatric Medicine
- Assessment
Background:
- Geriatric medicine is a critical, yet often underemphasized, component of medical training.
- Assessing knowledge acquisition in geriatrics is essential for effective medical education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a geriatric medicine teaching block on the knowledge of 5th-year medical students.
- To measure changes in student performance on multiple-choice question (MCQ) examinations before and after the intervention.
Main Methods:
- A 30-question MCQ test was administered pre-course, and a 45-question MCQ test was administered post-course.
- Validated geriatric knowledge assessments, including the UCLA Geriatrics Knowledge test and AGS Geriatrics Review Syllabus MCQs, were used.
Main Results:
- Student MCQ scores significantly improved from a mean of 62% to 75.2% (P < 0.001).
- Scores on the UCLA Geriatrics Knowledge test increased from 65% to 73% (P < 0.001).
- Scores on the AGS Geriatrics Review Syllabus MCQs improved from 59.3% to 78.1% (P < 0.001), with post-course performance consistent across different question sets.
Conclusions:
- An undergraduate geriatric medicine clinical teaching block effectively enhances medical students' knowledge in the field.
- The findings support the integration of targeted geriatric medicine curricula in senior medical years.
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