May 2009

§  Announcements

§  Product Spotlight

§  Featured Geriatric Site

§  Collaborations

§  New Products

Announcements:

Product Update:  Updates to the GeriaSims Program:  The University of Iowa has updated their GeriaSims products, enhancing the experience of using the existing modules and simplifying the development of new modules. Many changes do not impact the end user, but do enable more flexible module development: the separate physician and nursing templates are now combined into a single master template, module instructions are now created dynamically, and screen headers are now controlled by the developer instead of created by the template. Based on user feedback, additional changes that will impact favorably on the end user are the ability to navigate backward within the module and the option to expand the module to fill the computer screen. All nine original modules have been converted to incorporate these changes; see them yourself by visiting the site!

Share your wisdom!   Comment on the products you view and use.  Use the POGOe 'amazon.com' evaluation system (stars and comments) to help others more easily identify the best usage, strengths and weaknesses of POGOe products.  All comments are anonymous and reviewed before posted. 

Some examples:  “Great for all levels--fun for preclinical students and good review for advanced learners” (Women’s Health Module #18392); and  “The case was very useful in highlighting risk factors for falls and reviewing areas of physical examination to focus on during a falls evaluation. Content and format very amenable to small group discussion for all levels of learners, and case discussion held more attention than a didactic presentation” (Falls #20200).

Product Spotlight:

Geriatric Emergency Medicine Modules
By Fredric Hustey, M.D. and Robert Palmer, M.D.

With the recent publication of the Institute of Medicine’s Retooling for an Aging America and the recent publication of the Minimum Geriatric Competencies for Medical Students in the journal, Academic Medicine, it has become apparent that the education of tomorrow’s physicians must adapt to the needs of an aging nation.  Achieving these competencies in medical school is a great first step; however, the care of older adults is complex and reaches beyond the basic concepts of general medicine.  To reach beyond this base level of medical knowledge, competencies are being developed in specialty and sub-specialty disciplines as well.  Educators in the field of emergency medicine have defined the minimum geriatric competencies for their trainees in the care of older adults in the ED setting, and these competencies are available on POGOe.  This month’s Editors’ Choice selection, Geriatric Emergency Medicine Modules by Fredric Hustey, M.D. and Robert Palmer, M.D. from the Cleveland Clinic is aimed at improving knowledge of the basic principles of geriatric emergency care with an emphasis on quality of care issues.

The Geriatric Emergency Medicine Modules are web-based, self-guided, and interactive, covering five common geriatric topics encountered in the ED setting: Altered Mental Status, Geriatric Abdominal Pain, Geriatric Trauma and Elder Abuse, Inappropriate Prescribing and Adverse Drug Events, and Pain Management and Procedural Sedation.  These modules utilize the Center for Online Medical Education and Training (COMET) database and are targeted toward medical students in their clinical years, residents, fellows, and practicing physicians.  The authors designed these five modules to highlight some of the caveats in caring for older adults in an emergency care setting with a focus on quality of care. It covers the medical students' minimum geriatric competency domains of Medication Management, Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders, Self-Care Capacity, and Atypical Presentation of Disease.

Click here for full Editors’ Choice product review, to view the product, and to comment and rate this product on POGOe.

Featured Geriatric Site:

Announcing A Great Online Resource –  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Child and Aging Health Protection Division has developed a website that provides information on an Aging Initiative, the goal of which is to develop a National Agenda for the Environment and the Aging.  The Section on Aging website has been translated into 16 languages and offers large text formats to facilitate browsing for all.  To learn more about how this initiative is working towards ensuring an environmental health fit for the growing older adult population in the U.S., please visit the website at www.epa.gov/aging.

Collaborations:  

D.W. Reynolds FD~AGE Physician Mini-Fellowships in Geriatrics:
The Mini-Fellowships are 3 – 4 day intensive courses for non-geriatricians seeking training in geriatrics education and curriculum development. They target clinician-educators in internal medicine, family medicine, hospital medicine and other subspecialties. The course is free of charge to participants who are not from Reynolds-sponsored schools. CME credit is awarded.

§ UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine: May 27-29, 2009 (Mini-Fellowship)
Visit www.geronet.ucla.edu or contact Anne Hu at: AnneHu@mednet.ucla.edu or (310) 312-0531 for more information

§ Duke University School of Medicine: June 15-19, 2009 (Palliative Care Curriculum Development); & October 2009 (Medical Student Education in Geriatrics)
Visit careinaging.duke.edu or contact Emily Herbert at: emily.herbert@duke.edu or (919) 660-7577 for more information

Physician Continuing Medical Education (CME) Courses in Geriatrics:

§ The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: September 13-16, 2009 (CME Course) www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gec or contact Laura Gibson at: lcgibson@jhmi.edu or (410) 550-3268 for more information

§ Mount Sinai School of Medicine: Intensive Update with Board Review in Geriatric & Palliative Medicine; October 4-7, 2009; New York, NY
This course presents an exciting opportunity for close study with nationally recognized experts in both Geriatric and Palliative Medicine fields. An engaging, highly practical and comprehensive review of all aspects of geriatric and palliative medicine, this four-day course is uniquely organized around intimate work sessions, enabling participants to take advantage of close one-on-one mentoring and networking opportunities. Case-based workshops cover topics ranging from geriatric assessment and pain management to hip fracture and urinary incontinence. Scholarships awarded are provided by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.
Contact GeriEd.Programs@mssm.edu or contact Faye Francisco at (212) 241-3624

A Sample of the Latest Products on POGOe:

Assistive Devices Card Sort #20465 by Maria van Zuilen Ph.D, et al.

Geriatric Otolaryngology #20455 by Michael Johns, M.D., et. al.

M1 Care Transitions  #20450 by Manuel Eskildsen, MD

For any questions or more information, please contact us at Editor@POGOe.org.

POGOe, the Portal of Geriatrics Online Education, is a major initiative of the ADGAP/Reynolds Geriatrics Education Coordinating Center and is funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

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