ABSTRACT

In coming decades, healthcare providers will treat a greater number of individuals living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias than ever. Simulation-based learning provides experiential learning opportunities to enhance clinical training, but little is known about how dementia simulation training improves understanding of dementia or how it changes in participants’ ability to deliver high-quality healthcare to individuals living with dementia. In this study, we examine how a simulation training program may prepare healthcare trainees to treat individuals living with dementia. We conducted eight in-depth, one-on-one interviews with healthcare trainees who participated in the Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT) program and faculty who added VDT to their curricula, and also examined 20 reflection papers from students following participation in VDT. A thematic analysis of qualitative data led us to three themes: 1) dementia simulation complements and enhances traditional teaching methods, 2) dementia simulation helps students to understand the experiences of people living with dementia, and 3) experiential learning inspired students to reflect on actions they would take as clinicians and leaders to support individuals living with dementia and their families. Based on these findings, we propose a modified transformative learning process for dementia simulation training with healthcare students.

 抽象的

未来几十年，医疗保健提供者将治疗比以往更多的阿尔茨海默病和相关痴呆症患者。基于模拟的学习为加强临床培训提供了体验式学习机会，但人们对痴呆症模拟培训如何提高对痴呆症的了解或如何改变参与者为痴呆症患者提供高质量医疗保健的能力知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们研究了模拟培训计划如何帮助医疗保健实习生做好治疗痴呆症患者的准备。我们对参加虚拟痴呆症之旅 (VDT) 项目的医疗保健实习生和将 VDT 添加到课程中的教师进行了 8 次深入、一对一的采访，还审查了学生参与 VDT 后的 20 篇反思论文。对定性数据的主题分析使我们得出三个主题：1）痴呆症模拟补充和增强了传统的教学方法，2）痴呆症模拟帮助学生了解痴呆症患者的经历，3）体验式学习激发学生反思行动他们将作为临床医生和领导者来支持痴呆症患者及其家人。基于这些发现，我们提出了一种改进的变革性学习流程，用于医疗保健学生的痴呆症模拟培训。