TRAINING IMPROVED STUDENTS’ COMFORT LEVEL AND COMPETENCY WITH VALUE AND PREFERENCE-BASED PRESCRIBING

• Published in: Innovation in aging 2017-07, Vol.1 (suppl_1), p.205-205
• Main Authors: Cheng, H.Y., Bradley, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igx004.775

When clinicians treat older adults with age-related pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, drug-drug, drug-disease interactions, polypharmacy, and comorbidity, they face great challenges with value and preference-based prescribing/deprescribing. It was unknown whether a structured training program could improve fourth year medical students’ attitudes, comfort level and competency on value- and preference-based prescribing/de-prescribing for older adults. All 4th year medical students rotated through a two-week required geriatrics clerkship and attended two, 1.5 hour-workshops on value and preference-based prescribing/deprescribing. They were assigned to either the intervention (the author as a primary preceptor) or control group (other attending as a primary preceptor) alphabetically by their last names. Only the intervention group received structured teaching on medication review at the bedside and reported to the author. Attitude, comfort level and competency on value- and preference-based prescribing/deprescribing were assessed by five questions. The authors tested 1) improvement of fourth medical students’ attitude, comfort level and competency on value- and preference-based prescribing/de-prescribing for older adults; 2) whether such improvement is greater in the intervention group. One hundred and forty seven students participated in the pilot curriculum. Fifty-nine were assigned to the intervention and 88 to the control group. At the end of geriatrics clerkship, all students significantly improved their comfort level and competency on value- and preference-based prescribing/de-prescribing for older adults, but not attitude. There was no difference between intervention and control groups. This curriculum for fourth year medical students can significantly improve students’ comfort level and competency on value- and preference-based prescribing for older adults.