Clinical Simulation Training in Geriatric Medicine: A Review of the Evidence and Lessons for Training in Psychiatry of Old Age

Abstract

Clinical simulation encompasses a broad range of methods and techniques that allow clinical skills to be rehearsed and practiced away from the clinic before being applied to real patients. As such, preparation of doctors and other healthcare professionals for safe clinical practice is one of its main aims. The objective of this paper was to review the evidence regarding the use of clinical simulation training in geriatric medicine education and consider how the findings may be translated to education in the closely related field of psychiatry of old age. Original papers and descriptive case studies of clinical simulation training programs for medical professionals were considered for inclusion. Papers were grouped according to the participants’ level of training: (1) undergraduate medical education; (2) postgraduate medical education; and (3) multiple levels of medical learners. A diverse range of effective simulation modalities for teaching geriatric medicine was identified across all levels of learning. The evidence suggests that there is much fertile ground for trainees in geriatric medicine and psychiatry of old age to participate in joint simulation training programs, thereby maximising their reach while minimising associated resource requirements and financials costs. Given the prominent position of psychiatry of old age at the interface between psychiatry and medicine, old age psychiatrists potentially have much to offer in advancing the field of clinical simulation while simultaneously improving patient care.