A study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows how pre-medical students exposed to geriatric medicine developed an increased interest in the speciality — a development sorely needed due to the lack of geriatric medicine doctors in the United States.
The students implemented delirium prevention strategies in the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP). Monthly lectures were also part of what the authors of the report said was the only program that combines HELP with education and discussion. Investigators wanted to see how being exposed to geriatric medicine affected student interest in geriatrics.
All of the students, who were from the UT Dallas Honors College in Texas, worked three hours a week in the Acute Care of the Elders (ACE) inpatient unit between 2019 and 2020. Though the program paused in 2020, it returned in 2021. There were initially 26 students; and at the end of the pilot study, 16 of them completed surveys.
Among the delirium prevention techniques were having casual conversations with patients, delivering cognitive stimulation, encouraging older adults to stay hydrated, assisting with meals, and promoting sleep hygiene. Also, every month, the students attended a one-hour session where they learned about aging, geriatric syndromes, falls, gait, and patient assessments.
The surveys showed that the way they perceived caring for older adults was more positive overall among the students. Six of them were expressly interested in working with older adults.
“After the program, students displayed an even stronger interest in geriatrics, with a more positive perception of the care of older adults. Based on the open-ended responses, the personal patient care experiences appeared to be the biggest driver of this positive impact, with students frequently mentioning patient interactions and the hospital setting,” the authors wrote.
Studies in the future should see what geriatric medicine principles are appropriate for pre-medical students. The investigators said they plan to follow up on the original cohort to see if they pursue careers in geriatric medicine.
