Education of pharmacy students with geriatric sensitivity training exercise
Keywords:
Older Adult, Pharmacy Education, Sensitivity Geriatric TrainingAbstract
Background: The older adult population is increasing rapidly which will have an impact on the future of pharmacy.
Therefore, it is important for pharmacists to be exposed to the challenges experienced by older adult patients.
Aim: The objective was to evaluate pharmacy students’ attitudes and perceptions of a geriatric sensitivity training (GST) exercise.
Method: The GST exercise was administered as a pilot program in 2009 to first year pharmacy students. Once a new pharmacy curriculum was implemented, the activity was incorporated into an application-based laboratory course for second-year students. A Likert-scale assessment was administered to both groups at the completion.
Results: More than 90% of all participants (n=198) “Strongly Agreed” or “Agreed” that the exercise challenged them to think critically when approaching geriatric patients.
Conclusions: The GST exercise is a useful tool in pharmacy education to make students aware of the barriers faced by older adults.
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