ABSTRACT

Objective

This study designed a pilot elective course to augment geriatric education in undergraduate and medical students, and secondarily to investigate an alternative individual cognitive stimulation therapy (iCST) platform.

Methods

Student participants (SPs) were recruited over five semesters to create and deliver iCST sessions to geriatric participants (GPs) for 10 weeks. Likert scale survey items and open-ended questions were used to evaluate the success of the SPs. Pre- and post-Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) exam and Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s disease (QOL-AD) scores were obtained and a paired t-test determined whether the novel iCST model significantly improved GPs’ cognition and/or quality of life.

Results

Thirty SPs and 10 GPs successfully completed the pilot course and iCST intervention. Ninety-three percent of all SPs rated the course positively and 100% felt the course was relevant to their future careers. The iCST model also yielded positive results, including a 3.8-point increase in quality of life for the GP, as measured by the QOL-AD (p = .01). SLUMS scores increased by 1.3-points, although failing to reach statistical significance (p = .25).

Conclusions

This pilot has shown success in exposing students to geriatric-specific education and introducing an alternative iCST platform.

中文翻译：

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使用认知刺激疗法加强老年医学教育的试点选修课程

摘要

客观的

本研究设计了一个试点选修课程，以加强本科生和医学生的老年教育，其次是研究另一种个人认知刺激疗法 (iCST) 平台。

方法

学生参与者 (SP) 在五个学期内被招募，为老年参与者 (GP) 创建和提供 iCST 课程，为期 10 周。使用李克特量表调查项目和开放式问题来评估 SP 的成功。获得圣路易斯大学前后心理状态 (SLUMS) 考试和阿尔茨海默病生活质量 (QOL-AD) 评分，并通过配对 t 检验确定新型 iCST 模型是否显着提高了全科医生的认知和/或质量的生活。

结果

30 名 SP 和 10 名 GP 成功完成了试点课程和 iCST 干预。93% 的 SP 对该课程给予正面评价，100% 的人认为该课程与他们未来的职业相关。iCST 模型也产生了积极的结果，包括以 QOL-AD 衡量的 GP 的生活质量提高了 3.8 个百分点 ( p = .01)。SLUMS 分数增加了 1.3 分，但未达到统计学意义 ( p = .25)。

结论

该试点在让学生接受老年病学教育和引入替代 iCST 平台方面取得了成功。