Addressing hospital malnutrition in people living with dementia: An innovative interprofessional curriculum

Abstract

A course was developed for interprofessional health professions learners (including pre-licensure students from the medical, physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology programs, and geriatric medicine fellows) to recognize and reduce risk for malnutrition in hospitalized patients with dementia. Four sessions were developed, each with pre-session didactics, in-person small-group activities, and large-group debriefs. Small-group activities focused on clinical skill development and interprofessional socialization. Each of the sessions had one topic of focus: approach to care for people living with dementia, addressing malnutrition in the hospital, supporting caregivers, and interprofessional practice and communication.

Over the first four years of offering the course, one hundred learners registered for the program, and 39 completed both the pre-and post-assessments. Outcomes included improvement in knowledge about dementia and malnutrition, implementation of clinical practice changes to reduce malnutrition risk, and improvement in measures of interprofessional practice. These were assessed by adapting items from three validated questionnaires: the Malnutrition Knowledge and Awareness Test, the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale, and the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale. Key components for the success of this program include interprofessional faculty and learner groups, hands-on skills development, and a patient-centered focus.