Inaugural batch of doctors receive the Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care for Elderly from Sunway University

Twelve participants of the 2020 Inaugural Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care for Elderly (PGDPCE) received their certification from Sunway University late 2020. The course began in January and ran for 12 months in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PGDPCE is the first course of its kind in the country targeted at GPs to address the nation’s ageing populace. MIMS Doctor spoke to a few of the graduates to hear of their experience and their views on the course.

Dr Lawrence Ng Soo Leong
Ng came across the course while reading MIMS Doctor magazine in November 2019 and quickly got in touch with the course coordinator to register. Upon completion, Ng said: “The course was a great experience as the modules were very structured and were taught by a group of geriatricians themselves through weekly online classes and also clinical attachment with the geriatrician in the hospital.”
Ng speaks highly of the course and would recommend the course to his peers. “It is worth the money and time to learn about the elderly as elderly care is the future of medicine. There is much more to learn to help this vulnerable group of people experience healthy ageing.”

While some monetary assistance was available for the course participants, Ng paid for the course himself, a testament to his passion for elderly care. “Elderly medicine is not exactly the same as adult medicine. There are many more details that we need to find out from them [the elderly patients]. Most importantly, we must prevent them from falling into any of the ‘Geriatric Giants’ and to have healthy ageing.” The five ‘Geriatric Giants’ refer to a group of symptoms commonly afflicting the elderly and includes impaired cognition, urinary incontinence, instability, falls, and immobility.

Dr Gan Chia Ying
Gan had already heard about the course during her pregazettement (2019) phase in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. “I was told that Professor Datin Dr Chia Yook Chin, of Sunway University, was preparing to launch this course and thus, waited patiently for the course to start and joined immediately when it was open.”

“The course modules are comprehensive and compact,” said Gan. “It covered all important topics and, importantly, the Geriatric Giants. Even the elective topics were very useful.” She felt class time was reasonable, with 1 hour a week for each module and class is usually on a weekend. This meant there was sufficient time for participants to prepare and do revision. Gan noted the face-to-face sessions for each semester was very good and helpful. She was elated to get to meet the key players in geriatrics, the so-called “famous" geriatricians who were experienced and knowledgeable. She added that the hands-on practice plus small class volume made for an interactive class.

The course was funded out-of-pocket but Gan noted that it was tax deductible and was fine with it. The course has widened Gan’s perspective. She now looks at geriatric patients differently. “I do not treat them as just another patient as I understand they have more than just their physical problem and need to be assessed more holistically. There are many with psychological and social issues, which are important, that we do not take into account when treating them. Treating geriatric patients goes beyond prescribing medication. It includes understanding their limitations in terms of function, financial and social situation.”

As to her prerogative for taking up the course, Gan alluded to the inevitability of the nation’s ageing population. Taking the course is her way of preparing herself for the future. “We might not know that what we are serving or prescribing to the elderly may cause more harm than good. With this course, I learned about polypharmacy and the prescribing cascade, which is one of the most common iatrogenic factors affecting the elderly.” With more knowledge, Gan hopes to serve the elderly better and to do them no harm.

Dr Chung Wai Mun
Chung was alerted to the course by the Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine and also by Chia. Undertaking the course was a fantastic experience, noted Chung. Being the first geriatric postgraduate course in Malaysia, the modules are applicable in daily clinical practice involving older adults, he said.

Having a group of dedicated consultant geriatricians plus a combination of face-to-face sessions and virtual classes made for a synergistic learning experience, said Chung. The course also served to improve Chung’s skills and confidence in managing older patients. As an added benefit, Chung has managed to build a network between his coursemates and the consultants involved in the course. Echoing the sentiments of his coursemates, Chung highly recommends the course to his peers. “As the older adult population is increasing exponentially, this course will definitely help to build a doctor’s confidence in managing older patients.”

 

Dr Willie Ho
Ho was actively searching for courses on geriatrics when he chanced upon the Sunway University offering. He signed on immediately to enhance his knowledge pertaining to care of the elderly.

The course met all of Ho’s expectations regarding clinical and practical knowledge about elderly care. The online examination proved to be a first for Ho, and it was a good turn of events as he didn’t have to travel to Selangor to take the examination. Similar to most of his other coursemates, Ho chose to fund the course out of his own pocket.

As a result of attending the course, Ho feels more confident when managing elderly patients and highly recommends his peers taking it up, as well. He said: “With the elderly population increasing in the future, it is very important to have good knowledge in managing the elderly.”

 

Dr Vivien Khoo

Another reader of MIMS Doctor, Khoo learnt about the course in the pages of this magazine. She managed to enrol just a few days before the orientation started.

Khoo considers the course to be a valuable learning experience and even though attending the course meant hard work and sacrifice on her part, the rewards made it all worth it. Khoo felt the PGDPCE course was able to provide the necessary knowledge and skills for her to, in turn, provide better treatment for her elderly patients.

The constructive online tutoring and continuous assessment proved to be helpful and she appreciates the extra effort put in by Chia and the team of specialists in helping the students overcome any challenges or drops in performance. She recommended the course to all doctors as the population of the country is ageing rapidly; it will be best to be ready and able to treat these patients as they are different from younger adults.

More information on the course can be obtained from the Sunway University site:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For additional information please contact Nurula at nurula@sunway.edu.my

Ed-The team is pleased to find GPs and young graduate doctors reading MIMS Doctor, as evidenced by a few of the participants learning about the PGDPCE course from this magazine. We hope to continue being of help to our readers and encourage everyone to participate by submitting your views or notes to the team at: jitsin.pank@mims.com.