A "humanism in ageing" workshop for cultivating awareness of ageism and for promoting medical students' professional interest in working with older adults

Abstract

Purposes This study aims to assess the impact of a novel “Humanism in Ageing” Workshop in HKU’s MBBS curriculum on student attitudes towards ageing and geriatric care. Our educational intervention is inspired by a pilot in Australia and developed in accordance with the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experience) Model. Methods 33 year-2 MBBS students received the Workshop in 2021-22. Before and after class, we administered the UCLA Geriatrics Attitudes Scales (UCLA-GAS) and Reactions to Ageing Questionnaire (RAQ) to measure student attitudes towards older patient care and personal ageing. Results 94% attendees completed the questionnaires. Mean age was 20.5. Our workshop had improved undergraduate medical students’ attitudes towards older patient care (p<0.001) and self-views on ageing (p<0.05). Conclusion With reference to the technique of photo-elicitation and the PEACE Model published in Gerontologist, we devised a low-cost 2.5-hr interactive workshop with demonstrated efficacy in improving medical students’ attitudes towards older patient care. Our project illustrates a creative response to the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030)’s international call for action to “change how we think, feel and act towards age and ageing.”