Trial reportDrugs & aging2017
Use of an e-Learning Educational Module to Better Equip Doctors to Prescribe for Older Patients: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Drugs & aging, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02405975 (A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Impact of an Online Educational Tool on Doctors' Knowledge and Confidence With Regards to Prescribing for Older Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Impact of an Online Educational Tool on Doctors' Knowledge and Confidence With Regards to Prescribing for Older Patients
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessment and evaluation of prescribing competences: A systematic review and recommendations.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Digital Learning to Improve Safe and Effective Prescribing: A Systematic Review.Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2019Pooled it
- Online Digital Education for Postregistration Training of Medical Doctors: Systematic Review by the Digital Health Education Collaboration.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Pooled it
- Effectiveness of a serious game addressing guideline adherence: cohort study with 1.5-year follow-up.BMC medical education · 2021Trial
- A comparison of the clinical pharmacotherapy knowledge of medical and surgical residents and consultants.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2023Article
- The Effectiveness of a Specific Foundation Year 1 Induction Programme in Improving Confidence for Newly Qualified Doctors in the UK.Medical science educator · 2022Article
- Geriatric Educational Interventions for Physicians Training in Non-Geriatric Specialties: A Scoping Review.Journal of graduate medical education · 2021Article
- Evaluating Effectiveness of Online Learning Modules in Pediatric Environmental Health Education.Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology · 2020Article
- Process evaluation of a complex intervention to optimize quality of prescribing in nursing homes (COME-ON study).Implementation science : IS · 2019Article
- The Effectiveness of a Foundation Year 1 Doctor Preparation Course for Final Year Medical Students.Journal of medical education and curricular developmentArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe older patient population is significantly different from the younger adult population with regards to dose selection for a wide variety of drugs. Recent investigation of prescribing attitudes indicates that doctors feel there is insufficient distinction made between the two cohorts during their undergraduate education, and that doctors do not receive enough training in geriatric pharmacotherapy.
objectivesThe aim of this study was to determine if an online module, focused on geriatric pharmacotherapy, improves doctors' prescribing knowledge, as well as prescribing confidence, as applied to older patients.
methodsThe impact of an online educational module (SCRIPT) on hospital doctors' prescribing knowledge and confidence with regards to older patients was assessed by randomised controlled trial. Control and intervention groups completed assessments at baseline, 4 and 12 weeks. Primary outcome was difference in mean test scores. Student's t tests were used to analyse the data. Qualitative data on participant's confidence levels were also collected.
resultsEighty participants completed the 12-week trial. The SCRIPT intervention resulted in a 22% difference in mean test scores between control and intervention groups at 4 weeks (23.12 marks versus 33.67 marks; p < 0.0001; 95% CI 8.13-12.97). This significance was maintained at 12 weeks. Thirty-four percent of participants in the intervention group rated themselves as 'confident' with regards to prescribing for older patients post-intervention compared with 12% in the control group.
conclusionA short e-learning module focused on geriatric pharmacotherapy can significantly improve doctors' prescribing knowledge and confidence with regards to older patients. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02405975.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.