HSC Education Days
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
2-9-2024
Abstract
Geriatric psychiatry requires physicians to treat psychiatrically, medically, and ethically complex patients while navigating limited resources, ageism, and complex emotions. The number of geriatric psychiatry fellows is declining while the target patient demographic grows. One proposal to address the mismatch is to provide residents with earlier, quality exposure to geriatric psychiatry. To shift perspectives and spark interest, curriculum was created using the affective context theory of learning and push pull learning design model targeting both cognitive and affective learning. This model addresses learner specific concerns, provides resources for motivated learners, and employs storytelling to create emotionally impactful experiences. The eight-class curriculum follows two patients through successive acute care encounters. Using interactive lectures and discussion-based learning, residents considered the facts and reflected on feelings that arise in geriatric care. In pre-posttests self-assessment, residents reported an increase in proficiency for diagnosis and treatment of medically and psychiatrically complex patients as well as an increase in proficiency recognizing and addressing the impact of patient identity and personal bias. Qualitative feedback included favorable response to case-based focus, expert facilitated discussions, and time for reflection. 83% (n=31) of respondents reported that they agreed or strongly agreed that they would incorporate information from the curriculum in their clinical practice. Study limitations include a small participant number, subspecialty focus, and lack of knowledge or behavior change evaluation. Further research applying the affective context learning theory to curriculum design across diverse topics and learners is needed. Redesigned curricula could have significant impact on patient care if learner attitudes and provider participation shift towards underserved health fields across health disciplines.
Recommended Citation
Haynes, Wayles; Jeremy Miller; and Christopher Abbott. "Designing Curriculum with the Affective Context Learning Theory: Using Stories to Explore Fact and Feeling in Geriatric Psychiatry." (2024). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc_ed_day/182
Comments
Presented at HSC Education Day 2024