Objective: To describe the development, implementation and initial evaluation of a web-based training module designed to teach third-year medical students the diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders commonly encountered in older adults.
Design: Prospective study comparing outcomes among students exposed to the training modules with a control group undergoing standard teaching methodology.
Materials and Methods: Medical students will be exposed to a web-based, interactive training module covering the differential diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of patients with complicated medical-psychiatric disorders, in particular dementia and delirium. Pre-test and post-test evaluations will assess efficacy of the training module. Test results will also be compared to a control group of medical students not exposed to the training module. Acceptability of the module will be assessed via structured feedback provided by the students.
Results: A qualitative description of the process of designing and implementing the training module, including technical problems and pitfalls, will be presented. Results of the efficacy and acceptability evaluations will be presented as well, with a focus on comparing the web-based module with standard pedagogy.
Conclusion: In a time of growing need for mental health services for older adults, a web-based, interactive training module on topics in psychogeriatrics may represent an effective way to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and critical skills to wider audiences, including medical students.
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