Study outlines how to embed dementia training in medical degrees

Australia’s population is projected to age over the next 40 years and the number of centenarians is expected to increase six-fold. The number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, and the number of citizens aged 65 and over will more than triple. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed 1 in 12 people aged 65 and over have dementia, rising to 2 in 5 for those aged 90 and over. This has prompted calls for the widespread introduction of dementia education in the education and training of health professionals.

Griffith University researchers were part of an international consortium that identified a gap in effective dementia education and subsequently developed a roadmap for educators. Their paper, “Embedding effective dementia education into undergraduate medical curricula—a realist review,” has been published in Age and Ageing.

Dr. Tien Khoo from Griffith’s School of Medicine and Dentistry said it is imperative the gap is addressed, given 2023/24 data showed dementia was the leading cause of death in Australia.

“There is an inherent need to evolve health professional education in relation to dementia and other conditions associated with the country’s aging population,” Dr. Khoo said. “With this in mind, it will be critical to develop clinical acumen and application in a holistic, interprofessional manner.

“This will need to include communication skills and empathy, crucial elements that, at times, can be neglected in the current drive to embrace technology such as advancing artificial intelligence.

“In order to facilitate a practice-ready medical workforce which can effectively meet the needs of the individual and community, challenges will need to be addressed from the perspective of how education and training is delivered as well as how students best learn.

“Educators could scaffold experiential learning to develop deeper learning and appreciation of dementia and how it affects the individual, family and caregiver.

“Appropriate planning and investment in the training needs of our future health professionals will not only benefit patients, families and caregivers, but will likely have significant benefits in health economics.”

Dr. Ellen Tullo from the University of Sunderland said, “Increasing numbers of people living with dementia means that health care professionals must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide good care.

“Historically, health care education has tended to neglect dementia as a priority,” she said. “Our model offers educators a structure to introduce robust teaching into existing curriculums.

“The numbers of people with dementia is growing fastest in developing countries, and there is a corresponding need to better understand the existing provision of dementia education and how this can be improved, according to local needs.”

Executive Dean of Education at The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Professor Andrew Teodorczuk said, “This is an innovative piece of medical education research that uses realist methodology to produce real world findings.

“Though specific to dementia education, there are broader learnings for the medical education community,” he said.