scholarly journals Managing Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: An Interprofessional, Standardized Patient Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 10-10
Author(s):  
Shaun Varrecchia ◽  
Carol Maritz ◽  
Colleen Maher ◽  
Megan Strauss

Abstract Several professional organizations have called for increased preparation of health professionals capable of working with older adults, including those with cognitive impairment. Standardized patients (SP) are often used in interprofessional education (IPE) in the health professions, but limited data exists to support their use when teaching about the care and management of older adults with cognitive impairment. The purposes of this project were to: 1) develop, implement, and assess an interprofessional standardized patient exercise involving physical and occupational therapy students and 2) to evaluate students’ perceptions of a SP encounter on relevance and utility to patients with cognitive impairment. 88 students representing physical therapy (DPT) and occupational therapy (DrOT) were assigned to interprofessional teams to evaluate an SP portraying an older adult with cognitive impairment. At the conclusion of the session the SP provided the group formative feedback. Student teams then completed an assignment to develop a collaborative intervention plan and addressed questions about roles and responsibilities and communication/teamwork. Pre-/post- surveys focusing on the knowledge of roles and responsibilities, communication, and teamwork were completed by all students. Students also completed an evaluation about the SP experience. Results demonstrated student agreement to understanding the role of the other’s profession improved 28.67%; being comfortable communicating with the geriatric population improved 27.31%; and working in interprofessional teams can improve geriatric patient care improved 32.11%. These findings demonstrate that use of SPs has several advantages in teaching students how to work and communicate with individuals with cognitive impairments as an interprofessional team.

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Briyana L. M. Morrell ◽  
Alison M. Nichols ◽  
Craig A. Voll ◽  
Kathleen E. Hetzler ◽  
Jane Toon ◽  
...  

Context: This study explored health care students' experiences after participation in an interprofessional simulation. Interprofessional education incorporates students from several health care professions in a controlled, collaborative learning environment. Athletic training students are not well represented in interprofessional education literature. Objective: This study sought to explore the attitudes of athletic training, nursing, and occupational therapy students toward other professions after their participation in an interprofessional simulation. Design: This article describes the results of the qualitative portion of a mixed-methods study. Focus group discussions related to elements of the Interprofessional Attitude Scale to explore participants' attitudes toward other professions. Researchers analyzed transcribed focus group discussions for themes. Setting: This study occurred in a private midsized Midwestern university. Patients or Other Participants: Seventy-nine students, representing athletic training, nursing, and occupational therapy, participated in the simulation; a sample of 13 of these participated in the focus groups. Intervention(s): Students in all professions cared for or observed the care of a standardized patient from the time of a spinal cord injury on the football field through an ambulance ride and subsequent emergency and inpatient care. Students collaborated and communicated with one another. Faculty conducted debriefing after the simulation and before the focus groups. Main Outcome Measure(s): Focus groups included relevant questions from the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale, and themes were identified from participants' responses. Results: Researchers identified 4 themes from the focus group discussions: collaboration, respect, knowledge of other professions, and communication. These themes also mirror elements of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative's core competencies of interprofessional collaborative practice. Conclusions: After the simulation, students expressed positive attitudes toward other professions. This study suggests that athletic training, nursing, and occupational therapy students have positive attitudes toward each other's professions after an interprofessional simulation activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A416-A417
Author(s):  
Daniela Victoria Pirela ◽  
Victor Cevallos ◽  
Jorge G Ruiz

Abstract Introduction: Older adults (O-A), more than 65 years old, are a heterogeneous group of patients in terms of functionality, social support and health status that implies a wide range of co-morbidities including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and unidentified dementia. De-intensification of treatment is recommended for O-A with T2DM, tight glycemic control and high risk of hypoglycemia. Assessment of all geriatric domains (medical, functional, social and psychological including screening for MCI) is encouraged to support a complete clinical picture that leads to appropriate targets and adequate therapeutic approach. The literature suggests that de-intensification of treatment in this population is uncommon, which calls for the development of new strategies to prevent potential harm, however we also question if previously established tools are being used. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of a community-dwelling Veterans with at least two office visits in the Geriatric Clinic between January 1st 2018 to December 31st 2019. 210 patients with 65 years of age or older with T2DM and A1C < 7.5 were found. 64 (30%) of the patients where on hypoglycemic medication including sulfonylureas or insulin. From this subgroup, only 9 (14%) patients where recommended to de-intensify therapy. 189 (90%) of all the patients were screened for memory disorders. Interestingly 20 patients (31%) of those using sulfonylureas or insulin as part of their diabetes treatment were not screened, which was a higher percentage compared to 48 (25%) patients not on hypoglycemic medications also not screened for memory disorders. Conclusion: similar to previous studies de-intensification is uncommon not only among endocrinologist but in other sub-specialties involved in the care of the Geriatric population. This data emphasizes the importance of using previously developed treatment tools specially in those with at higher risk of overtreatment side effects such as older adults with tight glycemic control and hypoglycemic medication


Author(s):  
Jacquie Ripat ◽  
Pamela Wener ◽  
Kendra Dobinson ◽  
Cynthia Yamamoto

Background: Pre-licensure interprofessional education prepares students for collaborative client-centred practice. However, most interprofessional educational efforts are aimed at developing the collaborative component of practice. The purpose of this article is to share the findings of a study that explored occupational therapy students’ client-centred development, in order to inform other pre-licensure educators about integrating client-centredness into uni- and interprofessional education contexts.Methods and Findings: Twenty-nine participants were recruited from each of three stages assumed to be representative of occupational therapy client-centred development in each of the two years of the educational program and during the first year of practice. Semi-structured focus groups were used to capture the participants’ experiences. The core emergent theme, internalizing client-centredness, included three main processes: identifying occupational therapy as a client-centred profession, engaging in the push and pull of client-centredness, and defining self as a client-centred practitioner.Conclusions: Educators of pre-licensure health care students should deliberately focus on client-centredness in their uni- and interprofessional education curricula; the authors offer examples of curricular opportunities focused on internalizing client-centredness. Enabling health care students to internalize client-centredness may be an important aspect of developing practitioners who are prepared to enact interprofessional collaboration for client-centred practice.


Author(s):  
Jodi Schreiber ◽  
Anthony Goreczny ◽  
Melissa Bednarek ◽  
Susan Hawkins ◽  
Mark Hertweck ◽  
...  

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of a single interprofessional education (IPE) seminar on student attitudes toward interprofessional education (IPE) at a small northeastern university that housed an entry-level Master in Occupational Therapy (MOT) program. Method: Investigators used the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) to determine attitudes of thirty-six MOT students after attending an interprofessional seminar.Results: Participant response rate of MOT students was 88.9% percent. The analysis of data revealed no significant differences between MOT student attitudes toward IPE pre and post IPE seminar. Conclusion: Several factors are discussed that may have contributed to the lack of statistical differences. Growing interest in IPE related to clinical care warrants explorations into various issues raised by this study regarding implications for health care professional education, training, and patient care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Miranda D. Skurla ◽  
Aniqa T. Rahman ◽  
Sarah Salcone ◽  
Liana Mathias ◽  
Bhumika Shah ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Importance: Virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool with the potential to enhance care of cognitive and affective disorders in the aging population. VR has been implemented in clinical settings with adolescents and children; however, it has been less studied in the geriatric population. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the existing levels of evidence for VR use in clinical settings and identify areas where more evidence may guide translation of existing VR interventions for older adults. Design and measurements: We conducted a systematic review in PubMed and Web of Science in November 2019 for peer-reviewed journal articles on VR technology and its applications in older adults. We reviewed article content and extracted the number of study participants, study population, goal of the investigation, the level of evidence, and categorized articles based on the indication of the VR technology and the study population. Results: The database search yielded 1554 total results, and 55 articles were included in the final synthesis. The most represented study design was cross-sectional, and the most common study population was subjects with cognitive impairment. Articles fell into three categories for VR Indication: Testing, Training, and Screening. There was a wide variety of VR environments used across studies. Conclusions: Existing evidence offers support for VR as a screening and training tool for cognitive impairment in older adults. VR-based tasks demonstrated validity comparable to some paper-based assessments of cognition, though more work is needed to refine diagnostic specificity. The variety of VR environments used shows a need for standardization before comparisons can be made across VR simulations. Future studies should address key issues such as usability, data privacy, and confidentiality. Since most literature was generated from high-income countries (HICs), it remains unclear how this may be translated to other parts of the world.


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