Using traditional or flipped classrooms to teach “Geriatrics and Gerontology”? Investigating the impact of active learning on medical students’ competences

Background: The present study aims to investigate the effect of two educational strategies to teach geriatrics (flipped classroom-FL and traditional lectures-TR) in relation to a control group (no intervention) on students’ competences.

Method: An intervention study was conducted during the third year of medicine. Two different educational strategies (flipped classroom and traditional lectures) were incorporated into a theoretical–practical discipline of geriatrics. Students were evaluated about their attitudes towards older persons (Maxwell–Sullivan, UCLA geriatric attitudes), empathy (Maxwell–Sullivan), knowledge (Palmore and cognitive knowledge), skills (standardized patient assessment), and satisfaction with the activities.

Results: A total of 243 students were assessed. The FL group demonstrated greater gains in knowledge among students and improved attitude compared to the TR. We found no differences in the skills using a standardized patient. In addition, students exposed to FL felt more prepared to treat older people, believed they had more knowledge, were more satisfied, and evaluated the discipline’s format better in relation to the traditional group.

Conclusions: Strategies in teaching geriatrics can impact students’ knowledge, attitudes, and satisfaction with the course. We found that the way this teaching is delivered can influence students’ learning, since there were differences between active and traditional strategies.