• Keelin Moehl, Rollin M Wright, Joseph Shega, Monica Malec, Kelley FitzgeraldGGDepartment of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Science, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania., Gregg Robbins-Welty, Kimberly Zoberi, Raymond Tait, Subashan Perera, Denise Deverts, Zsuzsa Horvath, and Debra K Weiner.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Pain Med. 2020 Oct 1; 21 (10): 211721222117-2122.

ObjectivePain management in persons with mild to moderate dementia poses unique challenges because of altered pain modulation and the tendency of some individuals to perseverate. We aimed to test the impact of an e-learning module about pain in communicative people with dementia on third-year medical students who had or had not completed an experiential geriatrics course.DesignAnalysis of pre- to postlearning changes and comparison of the same across the student group.SettingUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Saint Louis University School of Medicine.SubjectsOne hundred four University of Pittsburgh and 57 Saint Louis University medical students.MethodsUniversity of Pittsburgh students were randomized to view either the pain and dementia module or a control module on pain during a five-day geriatrics course. Saint Louis University students were asked to complete either of the two modules without the context of a geriatrics course. A 10-item multiple choice knowledge test and three-item attitudes and confidence questionnaires were administered before viewing the module and up to seven days later.ResultsKnowledge increase was significantly greater among students who viewed the dementia module while participating in the geriatrics course than among students who viewed the module without engaging in the course (P < 0.001). The modules did not improve attitudes in any group, while student confidence improved in all groups.ConclusionsMedical students exposed to e-learning or experiential learning demonstrated improved confidence in evaluating and managing pain in patients with dementia. Those exposed to both educational methods also significantly improved their knowledge.Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine 2020. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

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