Table 2.
Students' means, standard deviations, and P-value of self-perceived rating scores for each competency question.
| Competency question | Mean(SD) | Mean difference (post-course–pre-course)‡ | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Course† | Post-Course† | |||
| 1. I feel competent to recognise, evaluate, and treat dementia in my older patients | 3.50 (0.86) | 3.66 (0.75) | 0.16 | 0.078 |
| 2. I feel competent to recognise and minimise medication interactions for my older patients | 3.51 (0.87) | 3.68 (0.78) | 0.16 | 0.132 |
| 3. I feel competent to recognise, evaluate, and treat acute delirium in my older patients | 3.46 (0.89) | 3.75 (0.70) | 0.29 | 0.001 |
| 4. I feel competent to recognise, evaluate, and treat behavioural disturbances in my older patients with dementia | 3.46 (0.92) | 3.78 (0.69) | 0.32 | 0.001 |
| 5. I feel competent to recognise, evaluate, and treat depression in my older patients | 3.51 (0.92) | 3.76 (0.67) | 0.25 | 0.016 |
| 6. I feel competent to recognise, evaluate, and treat gait disturbances in my older patients | 3.60 (0.92) | 3.82 (0.71) | 0.22 | 0.035 |
| 7. I feel competent to recognise, evaluate, and treat falls in my older patients | 3.69 (0.85) | 3.91 (0.64) | 0.22 | 0.018 |
| 8. I feel competent to diagnose, evaluate, and treat various causes of urinary incontinence in my older patients | 3.76 (0.90) | 3.87 (0.71) | 0.10 | 0.240 |
| 9. I feel competent to evaluate the decision-making capacity of my older patients | 3.59 (0.89) | 3.71 (0.65) | 0.12 | 0.230 |
| 10. I feel competent to evaluate the cognitive function of my older patients | 3.71 (0.83) | 3.82 (0.65) | 0.12 | 0.220 |
| 11. I feel competent to evaluate the functional capacity of my older patients | 3.76 (0.83) | 3.90 (0.60) | 0.13 | 0.151 |
| 12. I feel competent to recognise when my older patient needs to transition to a more supportive living situation (such as assisted living or a skilled nursing facility) | 3.76 (0.92) | 3.96 (0.61) | 0.19 | 0.074 |
| 13. I feel competent to choose/recommend and arrange my older patient's transition to a more supportive living facility (such as assisted living or a skilled nursing facility) | 3.68 (0.91) | 3.81 (0.68) | 0.13 | 0.236 |
| 14. I feel competent to care for patients who reside in community care facilities | 3.66 (0.78) | 3.93 (0.63) | 0.27 | 0.008 |
†
Mean pre- and post-scores derived from the 5-point Likert scale evaluation instrument: 1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree.
‡
Difference = mean post-course scores–mean pre-course scores. SD, standard deviation. P-value in bold indicates significant mean difference.