Occupational Therapy Student Learning on Interprofessional Teams in Geriatric Primary Care

Abstract

Abstract Importance: Geriatric, interprofessional primary care training for occupational therapy students is needed. Objective: To measure occupational therapy student–reported knowledge, attitudes, and skills after participation in interprofessional geriatric educational programs. Design: Prospective, observational study with pre- and posttests for the three programs. Participants: Fifty-nine entry-level and postprofessional occupational therapy master’s students. Outcomes and Measures: Self-reported familiarity with other professionals’ roles, perceptions of interprofessional training, capabilities to conduct assessments, and attitudes of older adults. Results: Students of the three programs (Interprofessional Geriatrics Curriculum [IPGC], Student Senior Partnership Program [SSPP], and Geriatric Assessment Program [GAP]) reported different improvements in familiarity of roles, capabilities of assessment, and Geriatric Attitudes Scale (GAS) scores. For example, IPGC and SSPP students had changes in total GAS score (3.91–4.08, p = .002, and 3.84–3.99, p = .003, respectively), but no change was found for GAP students (3.85–3.91, p = .523). Conclusions and Relevance: More structured interprofessional education with older adults appeared to help prepare occupational therapy students to work on geriatric interprofessional teams in primary care. What This Article Adds: This article expands on growing evidence to support occupational therapy’s role in primary care by addressing the need to train future generations to work on interprofessional geriatric primary care teams.