Written by Dr. Ryan Butler, Associate Professor of Nursing, Chair of BSN in Nursing
The Interprofessional Geriatric Assessment Clinic (IGAC) provides a comprehensive approach to geriatric care while allowing students from different professions to learn with and from one another. This is an interprofessional clinical experience where medical residents and health profession students use the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Age-Friendly 4 Ms model. They utilize evidence-based assessment tools to examine the four elements of Age-Friendly 4 Ms care including high risk medications, mobility, mentation and what matters to address the complex health conditions of medically underserved older adult patients.
Each clinic is the result of a partnership between the University of Southern Indiana, the Deaconess Family Medicine Residency, the Southwest Indiana Regional Council on Aging and the University of Evansville. The team is composed of a medical resident, a social worker, a nursing student and an occupational therapy/physical therapy student.
The IGACs take place four times per semester in primary care offices. During each IGAC, four patients are scheduled to be seen by the team. Prior to the start of the clinic, an extensive briefing session occurs in which the medical resident shares information about the patients that are scheduled to be seen. Next, the team rotates and spends time assessing each patient. Needs are addressed holistically, with a special focus on issues most pertinent to the geriatric population. After all patients have been seen, the team meets for debriefing, and a comprehensive plan of care is created and shared with the patient’s primary care provider.
