Here - American Geriatrics Society

P OSTER
A BSTRACTS
and geriatrics competencies for Internal Medicine (IM) residents
and engages residents in self-reflection and quality improvement activities.
Methods: Along with IM residency leaders, a curriculum was
developed in 2008 employing spaced learning in geriatrics across
three years. Interns complete an Ambulatory Geriatrics Experience
(AGE): nursing home, primary care, consultations, house calls
and palliative care. PGY-2 residents staff the Acute Care for the
Elderly (ACE) unit; they also conduct a chart audit and patient
survey on their own ambulatory panel through the ABIM Practice
Improvement Module for the Care of the Vulnerable Elderly
(CoVE PIM). In the capstone activity, PGY-3 residents utilize
clinic site-based aggregate CoVE PIM data to reflect on their performance
gaps in quality of care for older adults. Each site develops
a clinic-specific QI intervention targeting systemic, sustainable
improvement.
Results: As of spring 2011, 84 residents completed AGE, 56 completed
ACE, and 28 completed the CoVE PIM. Interns’ satisfaction
score averages 6.9 out of 9 and PGY-2 residents rank the ACE unit
6.75 out of 9 (satisfactory-superior). Residents expressed confidence
in “assessing functional status” with a “more complete approach to
patient care”. Comparison of CoVE PIM quality measures between
the 2006 and 2010 cohorts yielded no significant difference in patient
satisfaction or physician communication scores. Screening practices
for cognitive impairment (2% to 19%) and falls (8% to 30%) improved
at one resident clinic (p=0.01), but not the other.
Conclusions: A 3-year residency curriculum in geriatrics that
meets all ACGME and geriatrics competencies was well received by
residents, who feel they learn key elements of geriatrics. The CoVE
PIM prepares residents for independent self-reflective practice and
supports the institutional QI mission. After one CoVE PIM cycle, residents’
screening behaviors improved in one of two clinics; future
measures will assess the impact of this continued curriculum on
learner knowledge, patient QOC and satisfaction with care.
D62
ICE: Introducing First-Year Medical Residents to
Interprofessional Teams.
K. D. Sheppard, C. R. Ford, K. Foley, L. Mitchell, C. Harada,
A. Rothrock, P. Sawyer, C. S. Ritchie. University of Alabama at
Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
Introduction:
Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs “when students from
two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable
effective collaboration and improved health outcomes”. The
IPE Collaborative Expert Panel identified core competencies for IPE
which is the foundation of the Interprofessional Clinical Experience
(ICE) at UAB. The ICE was developed to educate trainees from multiple
healthcare professions on the importance of interprofessional
team meetings for effective patient care. The experience’s objectives
include: introducing trainees to other healthcare professions; participating
in an interprofessional team meeting; and providing trainees
with the opportunity to develop a patient-centered care plan. This
study describes the differences between first year medical residents’
attitudes and those of other disciplines’ trainees.
Methods:
Six disciplines participate in ICE: dentistry, medicine, nutrition,
occupational therapy (OT), optometry, and social work. Each discipline
sends 1-2 trainees to interview an identified nursing home resident
over a 1-week period. Trainees then convene for a preceptor-led
team meeting to present findings and assemble a patient care plan.
Trainees complete a 10-item survey which assesses the trainees’ interpretation
of the various team roles and the need for effective communication.
Results:
Preliminary results over seven sessions have shown that medical
residents highly ranked the importance of the roles of medicine, nursing,
OT, physical therapy and social work as 4.57/5 for older adult
healthcare. Other disciplines differed by listing nutrition and pharmacy
as highly important as well as medicine, nursing, and OT. Both
medical residents and other trainees highly valued interprofessional
team meetings and interprofessional care as well as the importance
of effective communication with older adults and healthcare professionals.
Conclusion:
Both medical residents and other trainees value interprofessional
team meetings. The medical residents have differing interpretations
of the roles of healthcare professionals. This presentation will
delineate the difference in the residents’ attitudes versus the other
participating disciplines towards interprofessional teams and the
need for effective communication.
D63
Medical student geriatric education and mentorship: the Student-
Senior Connection Project.
L. K. Byerly, 1 K. Anderson, 1 J. Zelaya, 1 A. Dworkin, 1 M. Anthony, 1
H. McNett, 1 S. Devarajan. 1,2 1. School of Medicine, Oregon Health &
Science University, Portland, OR; 2. Family Medicine, Oregon Health
& Science University, Portland, OR.
Background: Geriatrics focusing on healthy seniors is an underrepresented
topic in medical school education. An elective focusing
on the relationship between medical students and community
dwelling independently living seniors has never been offered at Oregon
Health & Science University School of Medicine (OHSU
SOM), and the Student-Senior Connection Project (SSCP) was created
to pair OHSU medical students and senior “mentors” from the
community with the goal of fostering relationships and learning
partnerships.
Methods: First and second year OHSU SOM students (n=11;
30.2±6 years, 55% female, 82% White) voluntarily participated in
the yearlong program in which they were randomly paired with a
mentor (n=15; 84.5±9 years, 66% female, 100% White) at a local
continuing care retirement community (CCRC). Over the course
of 8 months, mentors and students met for 6 afternoon sessions
that included formal didactic instruction and informal mentoring.
A variety of professionals lectured on topics including: Quality of
Life, Exercise, Perceptions of Aging, Transitions of Care, Nutrition,
and Death & Dying. Students also took part in CCRC events.
At the end of the program, students completed reflective feedback
forms.
Results: Program completion was 100%. Feedback showed
the “Perceptions of Aging” session was both the most important
and interesting topic for students’ medical education, and (60%)
of students were affirmed in the prospect of including geriatrics in
their primary care practices or amongst their specialty choices.
Student reflections demonstrated several overarching themes: a
deeper understanding of aging well, appreciation of exposure to
an active retirement community, and the value of student-mentor
relationships.
Conclusions: This program was a unique elective experience for
OHSU medical students and the first of its kind for medical students
in the Northwest. The pilot year of the program demonstrated the
utility of introducing students to a group of lively, older adults. Students
expressed a strongly positive view of aging upon program completion.
As the students spent time in their mentors’ community, they
formed meaningful relationships as well as an appreciation of the
strengths and talents of a population that is not well-represented in
their medical school education.
S208
AGS 2012 ANNUAL MEETING