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Fifth‐year medical students' perceptions of the importance of frailty and competence in assessing, diagnosing and managing frailty before and after a geriatric medicine course
Author(s) -
Arakawa Martins Beatriz,
Jadczak Agathe Daria,
Dollard Joanne,
Barrie Helen,
Mahajan Neha,
Tam Khai Loon,
Visvanathan Renuka
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12788
Subject(s) - competence (human resources) , medicine , curriculum , likert scale , perception , geriatrics , gerontology , family medicine , psychology , psychiatry , social psychology , pedagogy , developmental psychology , neuroscience
Objective To assess the changes in fifth‐year medical students' perceptions of the importance of frailty and competence in assessing, diagnosing and managing frailty after a 4.5‐week geriatric medicine course. Methods Students' perceived importance and competence was assessed before and after the course using a 26‐item Likert scale questionnaire with scores ranging from 1 to 6. Results Students' perceptions of the importance of defining frailty ( P = .01), explaining what frailty is ( P = .03), advising on nutritional needs ( P = .001) and exercise ( P = .001) and prescribing an exercise program ( P < .001) significantly improved after the course. Medical students' perceived competence in assessing, diagnosing and managing frailty was low to moderate precourse and increased significantly postcourse (2.3 [1.2] 4.9 [2.9], mean [IQR], P < .001) across all items. Conclusion An appropriate curriculum focusing on geriatric health conditions such as frailty can improve senior medical students' perceived importance and competence in assessing, diagnosing and managing frailty.