Gerontology & Geriatrics Education

ISSN: 0270-1960 (Print) 1545-3847 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wgge20

Research Enhances and Informs Gerontology and Geriatrics Education and Practice Melissa M. Garrido PhD To cite this article: Melissa M. Garrido PhD (2016) Research Enhances and Informs Gerontology and Geriatrics Education and Practice, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 37:1, 1-3, DOI: 10.1080/02701960.2015.1137911 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2015.1137911

Published online: 29 Feb 2016.

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Date: 16 June 2016, At: 12:47

Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 37:1–3, 2016 ISSN: 0270-1960 print/1545-3847 online DOI: 10.1080/02701960.2015.1137911

FOREWORD

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Research Enhances and Informs Gerontology and Geriatrics Education and Practice Donald Berwick, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, once urged health services researchers to act as “citizen[s] in improvement” who work to “reduce the burden of illness, injury, and disability among humankind” (Berwick, 2005). This call to conduct useful research studies and disseminate and implement findings that will improve quality of life among all individuals is equally relevant for researchers in the fields of geriatrics and gerontology today. By 2030, one in five people in the United States will be sixty-five years of age or older (Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014). As the age of the population increases, so will the need for individuals educated in best practices in gerontology and geriatrics. Similarly, as the ratio of older adults to younger adults shifts over time, new social, psychological, and biological needs may be identified, and research will be needed to develop best practices to address these needs. To ensure the best quality of life for the aging population, researchers must work with educators and practitioners to identify areas in which research studies are most needed and to disseminate the findings of their research studies to the widest audience possible. The articles in this issue speak to these needs and highlight the myriad ways in which research enhances and informs both gerontology and geriatrics education and practice. First, research informs education. The first article, by Christina May Paulson and colleagues, provides an example of how research can identify educational needs. During a large cluster randomized controlled trial of an inpatient program to improve early delirium detection by nurses, the investigators became aware of the need to develop family educational materials about delirium. Paulson and colleagues describe the development of an educational brochure in response to needs identified via the larger research study. Moreover, this process sparked ideas for future research studies on the effectiveness of family education for delirium management. In their article, Tina M. Kruger and Andrew J. Pearl discuss how research can be used to improve education techniques. They

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M. M. Garrido

highlight the importance of using research and theory to increase uptake and implementation of service learning in gerontology. Research on educational techniques can help elucidate the mechanisms within an educational modality that are the most effective for achieving learning objectives. In addition, research enhances the educational process. Melissa L. O’Connor and colleagues describe a novel educational program in which graduate-level distance learners work as research assistants, recruiting participants and collecting data, on a larger research project conducted by course faculty. In addition to learning about the conduct of research, students learned general skills applicable to a variety of careers, including effective communication and teamwork. In their article, Brian D. Carpenter and colleagues report that research training in geropsychology education programs is well-received by trainees. Geropsychology is a specialty with a particular dearth of trained professionals relative to the degree of need, and programs that train practitioners to critically evaluate research and conduct research studies will help ensure the continued development of this field. Finally, research can inform and enhance gerontology and geriatrics practice. Thomas A. Teasdale and colleagues demonstrate how instructional simulation is most beneficial for students when simultaneously informed by experts in research, education, and practice. They describe the development of three simulation exercises and how they were informed by recent research findings, clinicians with expertise in a variety of geriatric syndromes, and education specialists with expertise in classroom logistics. In their article, Kathryn G. Kietzman and colleagues identify facilitators and barriers to conducting aging policy-oriented research in an academic setting. The use of rigorous and objective research results can inform the development of aging policy and practice, but Kietzman and colleagues find that this type of research is inconsistently valued across academic institutions. Together, the articles in this issue demonstrate the crucial role of research for informing practice and for improving our abilities to educate students in gerontology and geriatrics. In addition, the ability to critically evaluate research studies is of paramount importance to all gerontology and geriatrics students, whether they choose to pursue a career that involves conducting original research, applying research evidence to improve clinical practice, or teaching others the most up-to-date gerontology knowledge with evidence-based educational techniques.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.

Gerontology & Geriatrics Education

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ORCID Melissa M. Garrido

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8986-3536

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REFERENCES Berwick, D.M. (2005). The John Eisenberg Lecture: Health services research as a citizen in improvement. Health Services Research, 40, 317–336. Ortman, J.M., Velkoff, V.A., & Hogan, H. (2014). An Aging Nation: The Older Population in the United States, Current Population Reports, P25-1140. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC.

Melissa M. Garrido , PhD Consulting Editor for Statistics and Methods Gerontology & Geriatrics Education

Research Enhances and Informs Gerontology and Geriatrics Education and Practice.

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