FUNCTIONAL AND ATTITUDINAL OUTCOMES OF TEACHING FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT TO MEDICAL STUDENTS

Teaching geriatric principles to medical students is important because of the increasing geriatric population. Family physicians are in a strategic position to provide this teaching because they provide much of the care for the elderly. The challenge in developing a geriatric curriculum is to determine the content, implement it efficiently, and evaluate its impact. We developed a geriatric assessment experience for third-year medical students. The students were introduced to a geriatric assessment tool and asked to identify a patient, complete the assessment, and record key elements of functional assessment. Student attitudes were measured before and after completing the assessment. The students rated their knowledge, comfort, and experience with a comprehensive geriatric assessment. Students listed approximately seven problems and four recommendations per patient. On average, students identified one functional problem for each patient. There were significant increases in knowledge, comfort, and experience with a comprehensive geriatric assessment. This educational tool met all of our goals. The students identified elderly patients' functional problems, created care plans focused on function and prevention, and reported an increase in positive attitudes about their knowledge, comfort, and experience with geriatric assessment. No outside expertise was needed and faculty time demands were limited.