Aiming to improve care of older adults: an innovative faculty development workshop.
OBJECTIVE
Internists care for older adults and teach geriatrics to trainees, but they often feel ill-prepared for these tasks. The aims of our 1-day Continuing Medical Education workshop were to improve the knowledge and self-perceived competence of general internists in their care of older adults and to increase their geriatrics teaching for learners.


METHODS
Two internal medicine training programs encompassing University, Veterans Affairs, and a community-based hospital in Portland, OR, USA.


METHODS
Course faculty identified gaps in assessment of cognition, function, and decisional capacity; managing care transitions; and treatment of behavioral symptoms. To address these gaps, our workshop provided geriatric content discussions followed by small group role plays to apply newly learned content. Forty teaching faculty participated.


RESULTS
Participants completed 13-item multiple-choice pre- and post-workshop geriatric knowledge tests, pre- and post-workshop surveys of self-perceived competence to care for older adults, and completed an open-ended 'commitment to change' prompt after the intervention. Knowledge scores improved following the intervention (61% to 72%, p < .0001), as did self-perceived competence (11 of 14 items significant). Seventy-one percent of participants reported success in meeting their commitment to change goals.


CONCLUSIONS
A 1-day intervention improved teaching faculty knowledge and self-perceived competence to care for older patients and led to self-perceived changes in teaching behaviors.
Eckstrom
Elizabeth
E
Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, L475, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA. eckstrom@ohsu.edu
Desai
Sima S
SS
Hunter
Alan J
AJ
Allen
Elizabeth
E
Tanner
Craig E
CE
Lucas
Linda M
LM
Joseph
Carol L
CL
Ririe
Marnie R
MR
Doak
Melanie N
MN
Humphrey
Linda L
LL
Bowen
Judith L
JL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged