Education Research: Changing medical student perceptions of dementia

Background: Medical students' comfort level working with dementia is poorly understood, and may impact subsequent experiences with patients and caregivers. Early experiences that take place in a nonmedical setting may allow students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of quality of life and disease management in everyday life.

Methods: We studied Columbia University preclinical medical students' perceptions of dementia relative to attending a nonclinical art-centered, museum-based experience designed for people with dementia and their caregivers. Participants individually attended a single 90-minute museum-based art-centered program designed to engage patients with dementia and caregivers; programs are attended by 6–10 patient-caregiver dyads and led by trained museum educators at existing New York City sites including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and The New-York Historical Society.

Results: The Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS) was administered before and after the intervention (least favorable = 20, neutral = 80, most favorable = 140). A total of 19 students completed baseline and postintervention DAS. At baseline, DAS mean = 97.4 (SD = 11.2). To limit bias of taking the test, 9 students completed a second preintervention DAS (≥1 week apart); among these, DAS increased from 95.7 (SD = 7.7) to 98.7 (SD = 7.4) (p = 0.09). Following the intervention, DAS favorably and significantly increased to 105.8 (SD = 11.0) (p ≤ 0.01 for all comparisons, paired-samples t test); greater differences were identified in comfort than knowledge of dementia.

Conclusions: Although further study is warranted to confirm findings, given the increasing availability of such programs, it is reasonable to consider inclusion of these alongside other nonclinical programs that are already part of medical school curricula.