[Educational film on the geriatric basic assessment in primary care-Methods of cinematic authenticity]

The relevance of care of older persons in general practice requires the conveyance of procedural and conditional knowledge of the geriatric basic assessment (GBA) even during medical studies. There is a need for action with respect to student knowledge on specific problems of older patients. This paper describes how the primary care situation can be made tangible for students based on a film project at the Hannover Medical School (MHH).

During film production, strategies for creating authenticity were applied using cinematic means. The film is used in the teaching module of family medicine at MHH. Student evaluation investigated whether the educational film provided an emotional experience and whether the presentation mode of the GBA was perceived as authentic.

The majority of students were emotionally touched by the film. The educational film was successful in conveying the complexity of care of older people and in presenting the special role of family physicians in geriatric care.

The students recognized the necessity of the GBA and found the representation predominantly realistic; however, individual cinematic reception and previous experiences also influence the perception of the cinematic form with respect to the representation of reality. This method might improve the conveyance of authenticity in educational videos in medicine.