European Geriatric Medicine - Supplement 1 - Volume 6 - September 2015

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Symposia / European Geriatric Medicine 6S1 (2015) S157 –S176 S167
Sub-section 1: Simulation (James Fisher): Simulation mannequins
for medical education were first used in the 1960’s, since then
rapid technological advances have resulted in the development
of mannequins of increasing fidelity (Cooper and Taqueti, 2008).
Subsequently, the use of simulation mannequins in medical
education has gained acceptance (Gordon et al., 2004). The use
of simulation to teach geriatric medicine has been described with
specialty trainees (Birns et al., 2012, Dasgupta et al., 2012, Mehdi
et al., 2014), multi-disciplinary groups of doctors and nurses (Ross
et al., 2013) and medical students (Fisher and Walker, 2014).
This sub-section will:
• Describe existing simulation teaching programmes, including
example video footage of such teaching.
• Explore how teachers can develop scenarios “reflecting the
messy realities and challenges of clinical practice” (Kneebone,
2009). The aspiration is that immersive simulation scenarios,
showcasing the complexity of frail, multi-morbid older patients,
can act as ‘threshold concepts’ for learners (Meyer and Land,
2005), and thus help students develop new perspectives on
elderly care.
• Discuss the debrief process during learning via simulation
and share a debrief model: ‘debriefing with good judgement’
(Rudolph et al., 2006).
Sub-section 2: e-Learning (Desmond O’Neill): Teachers in geriatric
medicine can struggle to find space to teach necessary theory whilst
ensuring that adequate consideration is given to complex clinical
issues like ethics and communication (Gordon et al., 2010, Lane,
2000, Johnson, 2004, Ruiz et al., 2007). Computer assisted learning
(CAL) packages provide an effective way of teaching fact-heavy
topics (Eng, 2005, Chao et al., 2012, Hills et al., 2009), allowing
face-to-face teaching to focus on more complex clinical issues,
without increasing the total teacher contact time (Ruiz et al., 2007,
Blundell et al., 2011).
This sub-section will:
• Focus on the current forms of e-learning in use – taken from
examples in geriatrics educational literature – ranging from basic
CAL packages to podcasts.
• Explore the concept of blended learning, defined as “the
combination of different learning environments in order to
facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills” (Duque et al.,
2013), and how this can overcome problems with e-learning such
as learner isolation and lack of facilitation.
• Discuss how to incorporate e-learning into syllabuses as part of
a blended learning approach.
Sub-section 3: Social media (Joanne Pattinson): Social media can
provide a means for learners and teachers to connect and share
ideas, experiences and resources. Twitter, for example, is an online
social networking service accessible from any Internet-capable
device, that since its inception in 2006, has gained over 200 million
registered users (Kassens-Noor, 2012).
This subsection will:
• Discuss current social media platforms used in medical
education.
• Consider how teachers might incorporate social media into
teaching, providing practical examples and teaching tips.
Exemplar geriatric medicine social media resources and users
will be signposted.
• Discuss and debate the potential pitfalls associated with social
media in this context will be highlighted, with reference to
published guidance from professional statutory bodies across the
EU.
Conclusion: A criticism levied against innovative teaching is that
it is simply “change for change’s sake”. This is a temptation to be
avoided. We must always innovate for a reason. By harnessing
the best of available technologies and by mapping these to
identified challenges in teaching about geriatric medicine, we can
help to move care for our patients forward. We have provided
practical examples within this symposium. There are considerable
opportunities for cross-national learning on these issues. Pan-
European forums to share lessons between educators in geriatric
medicine should be further encouraged.
Symposium Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify the types of e-learning available and how they can be
utilised in a geriatric medical education setting.
2. Recognise the advantages that a blended learning approach may
have both in terms of facilitating learning of complex topics
whilst also freeing up teacher time.
3. Appreciate how simulation-based learning can be incorporated
into the delivery of geriatric medicine teaching on a multitude
of clinical topics and to a variety of professional groups.
4. Recognise that the debriefing process is a critical component to
learning derived from simulation and recall a logical framework
for a structured debrief.
5. Identify the current social media platforms whose use is gaining
momentum in the field of medical education.
6. Appraise the added value, and the potential pitfalls, of the
application of social media in geriatric medical education.
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