Prescribing for Geriatric Patients: A Novel Interprofessional Curriculum for Medicine and Pharmacy Students

Background:
Health professions students need training in interprofessional collaboration and geriatrics principles to meet the needs of an aging population. Polypharmacy is a common geriatric syndrome, which increases pill burden, adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions, and medical costs. Our interprofessional education team, led by a geriatrician and a pharmacist, developed a curriculum for medicine and pharmacy students focused on geriatric prescribing with the following educational objectives:
• Learn principles of medication reconciliation.
• Recognize unique needs of older adult patients.
• Compare and contrast how different professions approach geriatric patient interviews.
• Strengthen interprofessional communication and collaboration in patient care.
Methods:
The 1.5-hour session began with a pre-test using the quiz software (©Kahoot!) which was followed by an interactive didactic session, co-presented by faculty in pharmacy and medicine, focused on the 5 Ms of geriatrics (mentation, mobility, medication, multimorbidity, matters most) and medication use and safety in older adults, highlighting challenges of prescribing for older adults and the prescribing cascade. Students were then separated into small interdisciplinary groups. Within these groups, students from each discipline took turns performing a medication review and interview with a mock patient using a case adapted from a real-life patient experience. Students then debriefed regarding the experience and lessons learned. There was a final large group debrief led by geriatric and pharmacy faculty. A post-test and survey were distributed electronically. The survey was required but completed anonymously.
Results:
Over two years, 427 students (290 medicine, 137 pharmacy) participated. In aggregate, students scored a 1.3/3 (43%) on the pre-course knowledge assessment and 2.5/3 (83%) post-course (p< 0.001). 90% of students either agreed or strongly agreed that their learning was enhanced by participating in the session with students of another discipline. Qualitative feedback was analyzed thematically. Students praised the collaborative nature of the activity, networking opportunities with another discipline, and the real-life applicability of the case-based format. They reported increased confidence in performing medication reviews and collaborating with colleagues from other disciplines in future practice.
Conclusions:
We describe a novel, interactive, case-based didactic experience designed to improve interprofessional knowledge and collaboration, as well as introduce basic geriatric principles to health science professionals. The experience was well-received by medicine and pharmacy students and increased both knowledge and confidence on topics of geriatrics and interprofessional collaboration. This course structure is both highly practical and replicable.