A Workshop for Interprofessional Trainees Using the Geriatrics 5Ms Framework

Abstract

Background/objectives: Interprofessional trainees need geriatrics training to prepare them to care for our aging population. Team-based care will help them be ready to work in an Age-Friendly Health System. The Geriatrics 5Ms provides a framework to engage learners in five main domains of caring for older adults from an interprofessional perspective: Mobility, Mind, Medications, Multicomplexity, and what Matters Most.

Design: We created a half-day workshop for interprofessional trainees using the Geriatric 5Ms framework to increase their preparedness in caring for older adults as part of an interprofessional team.

Setting: The New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center.

Participants: A total of 66 trainees from 10 professions.

Intervention: After introductory sessions on careers in aging, participants engaged in an interactive session to learn about the professions represented. They then formed interprofessional groups to discuss a patient case using the Geriatrics 5Ms framework with a modified jigsaw format.

Measurements: Trainees were surveyed before and after the workshop on their attitudes toward careers in aging, understanding of skills and training paths of other professions, and familiarity with the Geriatrics 5Ms framework.

Results: Overall, 97% of the trainees rated the workshop highly. Trainee ratings significantly increased in the areas of understanding of other professions, and familiarity and applicability of the Geriatrics 5Ms, particularly for nonphysicians.

Conclusion: A workshop for interprofessional trainees using the Geriatrics 5Ms framework increased the readiness of trainees to care for older adults as part of an interprofessional team. This workshop offers a promising model for needed interprofessional geriatrics education. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1857-1863, 2020.

Keywords: aging; clinical reasoning; geriatrics education; interdisciplinary; interprofessional trainees.

Figure 1.

represents the structure of the Geriatrics 5Ms Framework in an Interprofessional Workshop for Trainees. The workshop included four sessions: (1) Why Aging Matters presented exciting opportunities for careers in aging. (2) Telling Your Aging Story allowed participants to discuss aging related questions with other professions as they rotated within two large concentric circles. (3) Understanding Interprofessional Perspectives provided an opportunity for trainee groups to teach others about their profession’s training and to field questions via dynamic online polling. (4) Applying the Geriatric 5Ms framework to Interprofessional Care brought the morning to a close as trainees discussed a case from different perspectives using the framework within small groups.

Figure 2.

displays the professions of trainees who participated in the Geriatrics 5Ms Framework Interprofessional Workshop. Before the workshop, 40 (67%) of learners reported that they felt they understood the training and background of other healthcare professionals to a large or great extent. This significantly increased by 28% post-survey; all learners except three (57 [95%]) stated they understood to a large or great extent (χ² = 20.83; P = <.001). Mean ratings of agreement also increased significantly (Pre M = 3.83; SD = .79; Post M = 4.40; SD = .59; t(59) = 6.78; P < .001).

Figure 3.

shows the change pre and post for familiarity and applicability of the Geriatrics 5Ms by learner type. Learners were divided into physician and nonphysicians. Although nonphysician learners reported lower rankings in the pre-survey, their rankings increased almost to the same level as the physician learners at the time of the post-survey.