Geriatric Education Programs for Emergency Department Professionals: A Systematic Review
Publication year
2019Source
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67, 11, (2019), pp. 2402-2409ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
IQ Healthcare
Emergency Medicine
Geriatrics
Journal title
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Volume
vol. 67
Issue
iss. 11
Page start
p. 2402
Page end
p. 2409
Subject
Radboudumc 18: Healthcare improvement science RIHS: Radboud Institute for Health Sciences; Radboudumc 1: Alzheimer`s disease DCMN: Donders Center for Medical NeuroscienceAbstract
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate geriatric education programs for emergency department (ED) professionals based on: content and teaching methods and learning outcome effects and factors promoting or hindering program implementation. DESIGN: Systematic review. SETTING: ED. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians, nurses, and medical residents working in the ED. METHODS AND MEASUREMENT: Five major biomedical databases were searched for (quasi) experimental studies, published between 1990 and April 2018, evaluating geriatric education programs for ED professionals. Data were synthesized around study quality, learning participants, teaching content and methods, and Kirkpatrick learning outcomes. RESULTS: Nine before-after studies were included. Learners were mostly ED residents and, to a smaller extent, ED nurses and physicians. Study quality was moderate, with the lowest scores on sampling and instrument validity. Programs varied from a 1-day workshop to a 2-year curriculum, mostly combining didactic lectures with active and experiential learning formats. Topics commonly addressed included managing: geriatric syndromes, trauma and falls, medication, atypical presentations, and care transitions. Statistically significant improvements were mostly found in learners' knowledge acquisition (six studies). Significant improvements were also found in single studies on: self-reported geriatric screening, documentation of geriatric care, and appropriate urinary catheter placement. Factors promoting program implementation included: solving competing educational demands and busy work schedules, embedding the program in preexisting curricula, and close collaboration between emergency and geriatric medicine faculties. CONCLUSIONS: Various geriatric education programs improve the geriatric knowledge of ED professionals and seem to positively impact their clinical practice. However, more program evaluations with larger study samples, and use of valid and reliable outcome measures, are needed to provide robust evidence on the effectiveness of such programs. J Am Geriatr Soc, 1-8, 2019. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2402-2409, 2019.
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