WINNER: Product of the Year at the 2009 Reynolds Grantees Meeting in Las Vegas, NV

Among the domains in the AAMC Geriatric Competencies for Medical Students, Medication Management is challenging to teach given the expansive nature of the topic as well as the danger of subjecting learners to endless rote memorization of drugs, their side effect profiles as well as their use or avoidance in the care of the older adult patient. Fortunately, the recipients of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation’s grant to Strengthen Physicians’ Training in Geriatrics have developed educational products addressing this issue to make learning medication management interactive, fun and engaging.

One of these high-quality educational products is Principles of Rational Prescribing from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, which was the Winner of the 2009 Product of the Year at the recent Annual Reynolds Grantees Meeting in Las Vegas, NV. Developed by Kaycee M. Sink, MD, MAS and Hal H. Atkinson, MD, it is one of five lessons in the SmartPrescribe curriculum developed to teach learners about the need for evidence-based prescribing and the influence that drug company marketing has on medical practice. Intended users of the product include medical students during their clinical years, housestaff as well as practicing health care providers.

Utilizing Adobe’s Captivate as an authoring tool, this multimedia product includes PowerPoint slides, audio, and interactive features including focus questions within three sample cases that address polypharmacy, adverse drug events, and off-label prescribing. Included in this product as well is a highly interactive Drug Interaction Game that requires the learner to associate drugs with their side effect profile as well as drug-drug and drug-disease interactions. Printable resources available for download include two Beers List tables (one by drug type and severity rating and one by disease/condition and severity rating), and a sample medication grid for patient use.

Through a very straightforward graphical user interface, the learner can easily navigate through the slides as well as through the sections of the product. The learning materials are separated into brief sections with the use of navigation icons and textual elements found on the left-hand side of the screen, which help in improving learner comprehension and retention. One suggestion to enhance user interactivity would be developing a tutorial structure, especially within the cases, that progress through material in a path that depends on the learner's response to questions.

Overall, this is a high-quality interactive e-learning product that addresses the following 2 medical student competencies in the Medication Management domain:

1. Explain impact of age-related changes on drug selection and dose based on knowledge of age-related changes in renal and hepatic function, body composition, and Central Nervous System sensitivity.

2. Identify medications, including anticholinergic, psychoactive, anticoagulant, analgesic, hypoglycemic, and cardiovascular drugs that should be avoided or used with caution in older adults and explain the potential problems associated with each.

Check out this product NOW! It is available for free from the Wake Forest website and also right here in POGOe!