Development of a board game to assist pharmacists learning the potentially inappropriate medications in older people.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pharmacists have been reported to have inadequate awareness about potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in older people. This warrants more efforts to enhance their familiarity and knowledge in this topic. A board game was developed based on the 2019 American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria to assist pharmacists learning the topic. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: The board game is played using dice and pawns and involved players encounter questions on various aspects of PIMs in older people. Questions used in the board game were reviewed by a panel of experts. The board game exposed pharmacists to drug-drug and drug-disease/syndrome interactions. The board game was pilot tested among 16 pharmacists and played by a group of 34 pharmacists. Close- and open-ended feedback regarding the board game were sought in both sessions using a self-developed questionnaire. FINDINGS: All pharmacists in the pilot test (PT) and actual game (AG) sessions agreed that the board game is an innovative, useful, and interesting way to learn about PIMs in older people. All pharmacists in the PT session and a high majority of those in the AG session agreed that the board game increased their knowledge about PIMs in older people. The open-ended responses showed generally positive feedback. SUMMARY: The board game can be useful as an educational tool to supplement traditional teaching methods to assist pharmacists learning the PIMs in older people. Periodic review and relevant modifications of the board game content can be done to ensure its efficiency and relevance.

Development and Pilot Testing of a Booklet Concerning Medications That Can Increase the Risk of Falls in Older People.

Background: A common contributory factor to falls is the use of medicines, especially those commonly known as "fall-risk increasing drugs" (FRIDs). The use of FRIDs is common among older people (OP). However, OP and their family caregivers (FCGs) are largely unaware of FRIDs and their risks in increasing the risk of falls (ROF). Methods: A booklet which aims to provide information on topics related to FRIDs was developed. The booklet was reviewed by a panel of 14 reviewers, and the content validity index (CVI) for each subsection of the booklet was computed. Pilot testing of the booklet utilized a pre-post intervention study design and included 50 OP and 50 FCGs as study participants. Perceived knowledge of the participants was assessed prior to and after completing the booklet. Participants' opinions on the usefulness and usability of the booklet were also obtained. Results: The booklet contained eight sections and each subsection of the booklet had a CVI ranging from 0.93 to 1.00. Completing the booklet resulted in improved perceived knowledge scores for each perceived knowledge item among both the OP and FCG groups (all items: p-value < 0.001). The participants perceived the booklet as useful and usable, as evidenced by almost all the perceived usefulness and usability items having a score of over 4.0. Conclusions: The FRIDs booklet developed in this study had good content validity and was widely accepted by the OP and FCGs. The positive effect on the participants' knowledge of topics related to FRIDs means that the booklet could be useful as a patient education tool to enhance FRIDs knowledge and awareness among OP and FCGs.