SynthesisBMC geriatrics2026
The impact of experiential learning on healthcare students' attitudes towards dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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10 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsHealthcare students' attitudes towards dementia are crucial to the quality of care. Experiential learning is a promising strategy; however, the comparative effectiveness of its various modalities remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the impact of experiential learning interventions on healthcare students' attitudes towards dementia.
methodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted across eight databases (e.g., PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library) for studies published up to August 2024. A total of 2,350 articles were initially identified using the keywords "experiential learning," "students," "attitude," and "dementia." Only studies that evaluated the impact of experiential learning on attitudes towards dementia using the Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS) were included.
resultsThirteen studies involving 1,861 healthcare students were included. Experiential learning significantly improved attitudes towards dementia (WMD = 9.46, 95% CI [6.33-12.58], p < 0.001). Both short-term (single-session) and long-term programs (multiple-session) demonstrated comparable levels of improvement (p = 0.49). Artistic interventions (e.g., storytelling, visual arts) produced significantly greater effects than non-artistic interventions (WMD = 13.44 vs. 7.58, p = 0.02). Interdisciplinary interventions were associated with greater improvement in attitudes, whereas virtual learning formats showed inconsistent outcomes and lacked sufficient representation for robust subgroup analysis.
conclusionExperiential learning, particularly artistic and interdisciplinary approaches, significantly enhances healthcare students' attitudes towards dementia. Even brief interventions proved effective, underscoring their applicability in resource-limited settings. However, methodological limitations, such as quasi-experimental designs, short-term follow-ups, and limited disciplinary and geographic diversity, restrict generalizability. Future studies should employ rigorous designs, explore virtual innovations, and assess long-term outcomes to inform scalable, evidence-based dementia education.
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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.