Soins plus — mise en place d’une intervention à trois volets visant à accroître la visibilité et la disponibilité du pharmacien dans un hôpital pédiatrique : une étude randomisée contrôlée

RÉSUMÉ Contexte : Le rôle du pharmacien au sein de l’équipe multidisciplinaire est souvent méconnu. Diverses interventions peuvent être mises en place pour promouvoir le rôle du pharmacien en milieu hospitalier auprès des familles, des patients et des autres professionnels de la santé. Peu d’études décrivent la faisabilité et évaluent l’impact de ces interventions, particulièrement en pédiatrie. Objectifs : Décrire l’implantation d’une intervention à trois volets visant à accroître la visibilité du pharmacien et de son rôle dans l’équipe traitante, pour permettre d’optimiser les soins pharmaceutiques des patients hospitalisés dans les unités de pédiatrie générale du CHU Sainte-Justine, à Montréal (Québec). Comparer la perception et la satisfaction des parents de patients hospitalisés et des soignants recevant soit des soins pharmaceutiques usuels, ou soit des soins pharmaceutiques intégrant l’intervention. Méthode : Étude expérimentale randomisée contrôlée à simple aveugle portant sur des patients admis dans les unités de pédiatrie générale entre le 5 mars et le 8 août 2019. Outre des soins usuels, l’intervention comporte la remise d’une brochure d’information sur les services et soins pharmaceutiques, l’accès à une ligne téléphonique permettant aux familles et aux patients de prendre contact avec un résident en pharmacie pendant leur séjour à l’hôpital et jusqu’à un mois après le congé et le remplissage par le pharmacien responsable du patient d’un formulaire de congé standardisé. Un sondage de perception et de satisfaction a aussi été réalisé auprès des participants et des professionnels de la santé concernés. Résultats : Six cent quarante et un (641) participants ont été inclus dans l’étude, 321 dans le groupe intervention et 320 dans le groupe témoin. La brochure a été remise à tous les parents du groupe intervention. Douze appels téléphoniques ont été faits au moyen d’une ligne téléphonique spéciale. Le formulaire de congé standardisé de 46,7 % (150/321) des participants du groupe intervention a été rempli. Une majorité des parents et des patients ayant répondu au sondage (81,2 %, 298/367) se disent satisfaits des services et des soins pharmaceutiques reçus dans les deux groupes. Une proportion de 83,9 % des participants du groupe intervention se disent satisfaits des soins et services pharmaceutiques reçus comparativement à 78,5 % du groupe témoin (p = 0,18). De plus, 60,3 % (111/184) des participants du groupe intervention disent que l’information transmise pendant l’hospitalisation concernant les médicaments leur a apporté de nouvelles connaissances, contre 48,1 % (87/181) des participants du groupe témoin (p = 0,019). Les résultats du sondage montrent que les soignants sont en accord avec l’intervention. Conclusion : Les trois volets de l’intervention ont été implantés dans les unités de pédiatrie sur une période de cinq mois. Cette intervention est perçue comme étant positive par les parents et les soignants concernés et les répondants ont été majoritairement satisfaits des services et des soins pharmaceutiques offerts. ABSTRACT Background: The pharmacist’s role within the multidisciplinary team is often poorly understood. Various interventions can be put into place to promote the role of the pharmacist in the hospital setting with families, patients, and other health care professionals. Few studies have described the feasibility and assessed the impact of such interventions, particularly in pediatrics. Objectives: To describe the implementation of a 3-part intervention aimed at increasing the visibility of pharmacists and their role on the treatment team, with the goal of optimizing the pharmaceutical care of hospitalized patients in the general pediatric units of CHU Sainte-Justine, in Montréal, Quebec, and to compare the perceptions and satisfaction of patients’ parents and of health care professionals with exposure to either usual pharmaceutical care or to pharmaceutical care incorporating the intervention. Methods: This single-blind, randomized, controlled experimental study involved patients admitted to general pediatric units between March 5 and August 8, 2019. In addition to usual care, the intervention included delivery of an information brochure about pharmaceutical services and care, access to a telephone line (which allowed families and patients to contact a pharmacy resident during their stay in hospital and up to 1 month after discharge), and completion of a standardized discharge form by the pharmacist responsible for the patient. The participants and health professionals concerned were surveyed to determine their perceptions and level of satisfaction. Results: A total of 641 participants were included in the study, 321 in the intervention group and 320 in the control group. The brochure was given to all parents in the intervention group. Twelve phone calls were made through the dedicated telephone line. The standardized discharge form was completed for 46.7% (150/321) of the participants in the intervention group. Most of the parents and patients who responded to the survey, in either group (81.2%, 298/367), reported satisfaction with the pharmaceutical services and care received. Of participants in the intervention group, 83.9% were satisfied with the pharmaceutical care and services received, compared with 78.5% of those in the control group (p = 0.18). In addition, 60.3% (111/184) of participants in the intervention group said that the information about medications that was provided during the hospital stay gave them new knowledge, compared with 48.1% (87/181) of those in the control group (p = 0.019). The results of the survey showed that care providers were in agreement with the intervention. Conclusions: The 3 components of the intervention were implemented in the pediatric units over a period of 5 months. The intervention was perceived as positive by the parents and care providers concerned, and the respondents were mostly satisfied with the services and pharmaceutical care offered.

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The Effects of the Medical Pause on Physiological Stress Markers among Health Care Providers: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Western Journal of Nursing Research ◽

10.1177/01939459211027657 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 019394592110276

Author(s):

Ebru Cayir ◽

Tim Cunningham ◽

Ryne Ackard ◽

Julie Haizlip ◽

Jeongok Logan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Health Care ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Care Providers ◽

The Impact

Contemplative practices promote well-being, work engagement and resilience among health care providers. We examined the impact of The Pause, a brief contemplative intervention, on health care providers’ physiological stress response. Participants were randomly assigned to either The Pause or the control group. They participated in a high-fidelity, stressful medical simulation. Following the simulation, intervention group practiced The Pause. Outcome measures were heart rate variability, heart rate, and blood pressure. We adjusted for baseline physiological variables, sociodemographic variables, self-care practices, and perceived stress. Participants in the intervention group had a standard deviation of the normal-to-normal RR intervals (heart rate variability indicator) that was 13.8 (95% CI 4.0, 23.5; p < .01) points higher than those in the control group. There were no significant effects of The Pause on heart rate or blood pressure. The Pause may reduce stress reactivity, increase heart rate variability, and enhance resilience in health care providers.

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Storytelling Through Music: A Multidimensional Expressive Arts Intervention to Improve Emotional Well-Being of Oncology Nurses

JCO Oncology Practice ◽

10.1200/jop.19.00748 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e405-e414

Author(s):

Carolyn S. Phillips ◽

Deborah L. Volker ◽

Kristin L. Davidson ◽

Heather Becker

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Well Being ◽

Oncology Nurses ◽

Control Group ◽

Self Awareness ◽

Music Intervention ◽

Self Compassion ◽

The Impact

PURPOSE: Rates of burnout among health care professionals are rising. Oncology nurses are at the forefront of cancer care, and maintenance of their well-being is crucial to delivering high-quality care to people with cancer. The purpose of this pilot study was to implement a novel intervention, Storytelling Through Music, and examine the effects on depression, insomnia, loneliness, self-awareness, self-compassion, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction in oncology nurses. METHODS: This two-group (intervention and control), quasi-experimental study of a 6-week intervention combined storytelling, reflective writing, songwriting, and stress management skills. RESULTS: Participants (N = 43) were predominately white (98%), with 27% reporting Hispanic ethnicity, and female (95%); their average oncology experience was 8.5 years. Both groups improved significantly over time on all measures. Compared with the control group, participants in the intervention group also had significantly less loneliness ( F[3, 98] = 7.46; P < .001) and insomnia ( F[3, 120] = 5.77; P < .001) and greater self-compassion ( F[3, 105] = 2.88; P < .05) and self-awareness ( F[3, 120] = 2.42; P < .10). CONCLUSION: There are few opportunities for health care professionals to reflect on the impact of caregiving. The Storytelling Through Music intervention provided a structured space for reflection by participants, individually and among their peers, which decreased loneliness and increased self-compassion. Both factors relate to the burnout that affects the oncology health care workforce.

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The Use of and Attitude Towards Telehealth in Rural Communities

Australian Journal of Primary Health ◽

10.1071/py07035 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 29 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Emily Mauldon

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Primary Health Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Routine Practice ◽

Care Providers ◽

Urban Hospital ◽

Primary Health ◽

The Impact ◽

Rural Patients

This paper reports on the attitudes of a sample of health care providers towards the use of telehealth to support rural patients and integrate rural primary health and urban hospital care. Telehealth and other information technologies hold the promise of improving the quality of care for people in rural and remote areas and for supporting rural primary health care providers. While seemingly beneficial for rural patients, study participants believed that telehealth remains underused and poorly integrated into their practice. In general, participants thought that telehealth is potentially beneficial but places constraints on their activities, and few actually used it. Published literature usually reports either on the success of telehealth pilot projects or initiatives that are well resourced and do not reflect the constraints of routine practice, or has an international focus limiting its relevance to the Australian context. Because of the paucity of systematic and generalisable research into the effects of the routine use of telehealth to support rural patients, it is unclear why health care professionals choose to provide such services or the costs and benefits they incur in doing so. Research and policy initiatives continue to be needed to identify the impact of telehealth within the context of Australian primary health care and to develop strategies to support its use.

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PHARMACEUTICAL CARE OF ADOLESCENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE 1: THE DIADEMA STUDY, A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Archives of Disease in Childhood ◽

10.1136/archdischild-2015-310148.7 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 101 (1) ◽

pp. e1.67-e1

Author(s):

Emina Obarčanin ◽

Manfred Krueger ◽

Petra Mueller ◽

Verena Nemitz ◽

Holger Schwender ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Pharmaceutical Care ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Well Being ◽

Diabetes Mellitus Type ◽

Control Group ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Phone Calls ◽

The Impact

BackgroundAdolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) often show low adherence to complex insulin regimens, leading to poor glycemic control. The benefit of pharmaceutical care in adults with diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) has been widely explored; however, evidence in adolescents with T1DM remains scarce.ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical care in adolescents with T1DM provided by a multidisciplinary team on multiple important clinical outcomes.SettingAt the outpatient Helios Paediatric Clinic and at the 12 regular community pharmacies of the study patients with 14 pharmacists in the Krefeld area, Germany, and at the University Pediatric Clinic with one pharmacist on-site in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.MethodsA randomized, controlled, prospective, multicenter study in 68 adolescents with T1DM. The intervention group received monthly structured pharmaceutical care delivered by pharmacists plus supplementary phone calls for 6 months. The control group received usual diabetic care. Data were collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. In addition, HbA1c was measured after 12 months.Main outcome measures The between-group difference in the change from baseline in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), the number of severe hypoglycemic events in both groups, and patient well-being in the intervention group.ResultsThe improvement from baseline in HbA1c was significantly greater in the intervention group than in the control group after 6 months (change from baseline −0.54 vs. +0.32%, p=0.0075), even after adjustment for country-specific variables (p=0.0078). However, the effect was more pronounced after only 3 months (−1.09 vs. +0.23%, p=0.00002). There was no significant between-group difference in the number of severe hypoglycemia events. After 6 months, the well-being according to the WHO-5 index in the intervention group increased significantly from 52.8% to 63.3%. After 12 months the mean total HbA1c remained significantly reduced in the intervention compared to the control group (8.6% vs. 9.5%, p=0.0184).ConclusionThe improved outcomes seen in this study provide new evidence that pharmaceutical care adds value to the management of T1DM in adolescents. However, the optimal methods of achieving sustained long-term improvements in this specific patient population require further study.

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Interventions visant l’application des connaissances en pratique pharmaceutique

The Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy ◽

10.4212/cjhp.v71i3.2585 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 71 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Apolline Adé ◽

Denis Lebel ◽

Jean-François Bussières

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Knowledge Translation ◽

Pharmaceutical Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Pharmacy Practice ◽

Geographic Location ◽

Care Process ◽

Post Intervention ◽

The Impact

RÉSUMÉContexte : La littérature scientifique portant sur l’application des connaissances (AC) est vaste et complexe et les publications sur les interventions dans le domaine de la santé concernent surtout les médecins et les infirmières. Pour autant que les auteurs sachent, il n’existe pas de revue documentaire s’intéressant à l’AC et à ses retombées en pharmacie.Objectif : Décrire le profil des interventions visant l’AC en pratique pharmaceutique.Source des données : La plateforme Knowledge Translation+ (KT+) a été utilisée pour en extraire des articles publiés entre janvier 2010 et décembre 2016 à l’aide du terme « pharmacist ».Sélection des études et extraction des données : Les principales variables retenues pour établir le profil des interventions visant l’AC en pratique pharmaceutique étaient le protocole de recherche de l’étude, le lieu de l’intervention, les rôles du pharmacien, les types de connaissances transférées et les retombées. Le codage de la nature des interventions pharmaceutiques reposait sur la classification du site Impact Pharmacie.Synthèse des données : Au total, 114 articles ont été sélectionnés : revues systématiques (n = 25, 22 %), études contrôlées à répartition aléatoire (n = 45, 40 %) études rétrospectives (n = 21, 18 %), études prospectives (n = 13, 11 %), études pré-post intervention (n = 10, 9 %). Les études se déroulaient surtout en établissement de santé (74 %). La majorité des interventions ciblaient des étapes de soins pharmaceutiques et la realization de séances d’éducation thérapeutique et de conseils prodigués aux patients. Il existait un manque de rigueur méthodologique lors de la conception des interventions et quant à leur description.Conclusion : Le pharmacien est le principal producteur de connaissances et oriente les interventions visant leur application vers les patients ou les professionnels de santé. Celles-ci concernaient principalement la démarche de soins pharmaceutiques et le travail en interdisciplinarité. La mise en place d’une formation initiale et continue, la gestion de l’information et la désignation d’un pharmacien responsable de l’AC au sein de chaque département de pharmacie pourraient encourager le développement de cette mise en application des connaissances. Ce concept peut être utile pour soutenir la création d’un modèle de pratique pharmaceutique cohérent.ABSTRACTBackground: The scientific literature on knowledge translation (KT) is vast and complex, and most publications concerning health care interventions involve physicians and nurses. To the authors’ knowledge, there have been no literature reviews on KT and its impact on pharmacy practice.Objective: To determine the profile of interventions relating to KT in pharmacy practice.Data Sources: The term “pharmacist” was used to search the web platform Knowledge Translation+ (KT+) to identify pertinent articles published between January 2010 and December 2016.Study Selection and Data Extraction: The main variables analyzed to determine the profile of KT interventions in pharmacy practice were the study’s research protocol, the geographic location of the intervention, pharmacist roles, the types of knowledge transferred, and impacts of the interventions. The nature of pharmacy interventions was coded according to the classification on the Impact Pharmacie website.Data Synthesis: A total of 114 articles were selected: systematic reviews (n = 25, 22%), randomized controlled trials (n = 45, 40%), retrospective studies (n = 21, 18%), prospective studies (n = 13, 11%), and pre-post intervention studies (n = 10, 9%). Most of the studies (74%) were conducted in a health care institution. The majority of interventions targeted pharmaceutical care steps, therapeutic educational sessions, and patient education. There was a lack of methodological rigour during the development of interventions and in their description.Conclusion: Pharmacists are key generators of knowledge, and their interventions related to KT are directed toward patients or other health care professionals. These interventions have mainly addressed the pharmaceutical care process and interdisciplinary work. The implementation of initial and continuing education, the management of information, and the designation of a pharmacist responsible for KT in each pharmacy department might promote the development of such KT. This concept might in turn support the design of a coherent pharmacy practice model.

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Pharmacist’s Role in Dispensing Opioids for Acute and Chronic Pain

Journal of Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/0897190010379710 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 25 (5) ◽

pp. 497-502 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Karen F. Marlowe ◽

Richard Geiler

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Management ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Family Relationships ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

The United States ◽

Care Providers ◽

Economic Productivity ◽

The Impact

Pain continues to be a serious health care concern in the United States. Patients with chronic pain experience the impact of the disease throughout their lives including their social interactions, family relationships, and in many cases economic productivity. Multiple surveys have found that many pharmacists hold misconceptions regarding opioids, pain disease states, and their understandings of current regulations. Multiple barriers affect the ability of pharmacists to deliver care to patients' prescribed opioid therapy. Inadequate communication between health care professionals and patients is one of the hurdles, which prevents quality care. Increased communication between health care providers including access to health information is one step, which is crucial to improving provision of pharmacotherapy. Finally, the quality of educational opportunities relative to opioids and pain management specifically for pharmacists needs to be increased, and consideration needs to be given for making appropriate pain management education mandatory.

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Impact of educational intervention on the best immunization practices among practicing health care professionals in a south Indian city

Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines and Immunotherapy ◽

10.1177/25151355211032590 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 251513552110325

Author(s):

Juny Sebastian ◽

Gurumurthy Parthasarathi ◽

Mandyam Dhati Ravi

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Care Facility ◽

Care Providers ◽

Immunization Practice ◽

Validated Questionnaire ◽

Study Population ◽

The Impact

Background and Aims: Maintaining the quality and safety of immunization is as important as the efficacy of vaccines in vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) programs. The aim of this study was to determine the problems associated with different stages of vaccine use and to assess the outcome of an educational intervention on safety and quality use of vaccines among health care providers. Methods: A pilot prospective interventional study was conducted over a period of 2 years at 271 sites in Mysuru, India. The study population was health care professionals (HCPs) involved in immunization and a sample of parents (one per site). A validated questionnaire was used as a study tool. An educational intervention on best immunization practice was conducted for the enrolled HCPs and the impact of the educational intervention was assessed using the study tool after 3 weeks. Results: The total number of the study population was 594 (323 HCPs and 271 parents). Of these, 41.49% were working at community health care facility and 33.13% were enrolled from primary care centers. There were statistically significant improvements in post interventional assessment of all stages of the immunization process including storage ( p −0.001), transportation ( p −0.001), administration ( p 0.001), monitoring and reporting of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) ( p −0.001), knowledge of AEFIs ( p 0.001), and HCP-parent communication ( p 0.001). AEFI reporting improved by 30% in the post education phase. Conclusion: Continuous education and motivation can result in positive behavioral changes on best immunization practices amongst HCPs involved in immunization, which may help to improve and maintain the safety and quality use of vaccines in immunization centers irrespective of the type of facility.

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THE EFFECT OF AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA ON ADOLESCENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARD SMOKING DANGEROUS AT SECONDARY HIGH SCHOOL 2 HALONGONAN SUBDISTRICT, INDONESIA

International Journal of Nursing and Health Services (IJNHS) ◽

10.35654/ijnhs.v2i3.147 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 164-171

Author(s):

Sarmaida Siregar ◽

Kintoko Rochadi ◽

Linda T Maas

Keyword(s):

Health Education ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Research Problem ◽

T Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Care Providers ◽

Audiovisual Media ◽

Knowledge And Attitude ◽

The Impact

Smoking is a bad behavior which can cause danger to health. Today, it becomes a habit for adolescents. It can be prevented by promoting health education by using audiovisual media, which provides information and education for increasing good knowledge and attitude toward the prevention of smoking. The research problem was how about the influence of audiovisual media on adolescents' knowledge and attitude. The objective of the research was to analyze the impact of audiovisual media on adolescents' knowledge and attitude toward the danger of smoking at SMP Negeri 2 Halongonan Timur Subdistrict. The study used a quasi-experimental method with pretest-posttest design. It was conducted at SMP Negeri 2 Halongonan Timur Subdistrict, Padang Lawas Utara Regency. Eighty-four samples were selected and allocated to the intervention group and the control group. The data were gathered using questionnaires. The hypothesis was tested by using paired t-test ad independent t-test. The result of the research showed that there was a significant influence of audiovisual media (p<0.05) on adolescents' knowledge and attitude after they had been given intervention. The conclusion was that audiovisual media was more effective in increasing adolescents' knowledge and attitude toward the danger of smoking. It is recommended that parents not smoke in front of their children. The school management needs to collaborate with the parents for discussing the academic development and students' behavior, and health care providers should increase health education program about the danger of smoking. Keywords: audiovisual media, knowledge, attitude, the danger of smoking

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“Stories Take Your Role Away From You”: Understanding the Impact on Health Care Professionals of Viewing Digital Stories of Pediatric and Adolescent/Young Adult Oncology Patients

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing ◽

10.1177/1043454217697023 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 261-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Catherine M. Laing ◽

Nancy J. Moules ◽

Andrew Estefan ◽

Mike Lang

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Young Adult ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Healthcare Delivery ◽

Care Providers ◽

Oncology Patients ◽

Digital Stories ◽

The Impact

The purpose of this philosophical hermeneutic study was to understand the effects on health care providers (HCPs) of watching digital stories made by (past and present) pediatric and adolescent/young adult (AYA) oncology patients. Twelve HCPs participated in a focus group where they watched digital stories made by pediatric/AYA oncology patients and participated in a discussion related to the impact the stories had on them personally and professionally. Findings from this research revealed that HCPs found digital stories to be powerful, therapeutic, and educational tools. Health care providers described uses for digital stories ranging from education of newly diagnosed families to training of new staff. Digital stories, we conclude, can be an efficient and effective way through which to understand the patient experience, implications from which can range from more efficient patient care delivery to decision making. Recommendations for incorporating digital storytelling into healthcare delivery are offered.

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128 Getting Healthcare Students to be More Empathatic for Geriatric Patients: The Impact of Simulation Suit on Pharmacy Students

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afz164.128 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. iv28-iv33

Author(s):

Shaun Lee ◽

Pei-Lee Teh

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Future Research ◽

Ageing Population ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction The world’s population worldwide is greying, and it is important that health care professionals such as pharmacists are able to gain proficiency in working with older adults who may be suffering from both physical and mental illnesses. One of the challenges for many schools that offer healthcare related courses is the need to support continued empathy towards this ageing population so that they can offer better healthcare services. Recently, ageing suits which are an immersive simulation suit designed to simulate the effects of ageing have been introduced to enable nursing students to experience what older adults face in health care situation. Method In this randomised controlled study, all year 1 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Pharmacy course (n=120) at our institution were assigned to either a polypharmacy only workshop or use an ageing suit together with polypharmacy workshop (intervention). The intervention group was tasked to perform a series of exercises, including walking a flight of stairs, picking up a coin as well as filling up a form. All participants completed the Jefferson Empathy Scale and semi-structured questionnaire. Results At the end of exercise, intervention group participants had a marginal improvement in their self-reported empathy levels, with an improvement of 1.7 +14.5 points compared to 1.2 + 9.4 points in control (p=0.81). Participants in the intervention reported changes in physical performance consistent with the expected changes associated with ageing. They also reported a change in attitude and were able to empathize better with older adults especially on issues related to patient communication. Conclusion As such, future research should also include and involve a wider range of students to ensure that they become health advocates for the health care needs of older adults. This will enable them to deliver better healthcare services to meet the needs of the older adults.

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