TUESDAY, Oct. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- The Veterans Affairs Geriatric Scholars Program (GSP), which utilizes a blended program educational format, improves clinical practices, and most participants report improved job satisfaction, according to research published online Oct. 5 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
B. Josea Kramer, Ph.D., from the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and colleagues used a retrospective post/pre survey design to examine the effect of GSP on clinical practices and behaviors, and the variation of that effect among clinicians working in rural and non-rural settings.
The researchers observed significant improvement in the frequency of using evidence-based brief standardized assessments, clinical decision-making, and standards of care. For rural and non-rural clinicians there were significant differences in peer-to-peer information sharing. After participating in GSP, 77 percent of the sample reported greater job satisfaction.
"The program is a successful model for advancing postgraduate education in geriatrics and a model that might be replicated to increase access to quality health care, particularly in rural areas," the authors write.
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