The clinical experience of registered master's chiropractic students in the management of elderly patients during their practicum

Abstract

Background The elderly population is increasing rapidly worldwide. As elderly individuals age, their physiological process changes, which means that elderly patients present differently, as a result of associated comorbidities and challenges in their physical and cognitive function, and thus the management of an elderly patient could present as a challenge. Registered master’s degree chiropractic students complete a theoretical elderly module during the fifth year of their studies, while entering their clinical practicum. The registered master’s degree chiropractic students need to acquire and refine their clinical skills, as well as apply their theoretical knowledge during their clinical practicum. The healthcare system in South Africa has limited knowledge on the management of elderly patients. Therefore, the aim of this study has been to determine the clinical experiences of registered master’s degree chiropractic students during their clinical practicum with respect to the management of elderly patients. Aim of the study The aim of the research study was to explore and discuss the experiences of registered chiropractic master degree students in the management of elderly patients presenting at the Chiropractic Day Clinic at the Durban University of Technology. Method A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study was conducted, using an interpretivist paradigm. The master’s degree chiropractic students, who had been clinically active for four months during their clinical practicum, were interviewed to establish their experiences in the management of elderly patients during their clinical practicum. The interviews were semi-structured and conducted in English, and later transcribed verbatim into a Microsoft® Word document. The transcripts were then analysed using Tesch’s eight steps of thematic analysis to establish the themes, categories and codes. Results Of the twenty-four registered master degree chiropractic students, twelve (50%) participated in the study. There were five overarching themes that emerged from the data: attitudes and opinions towards the management of an elderly patient; important aspects of the management towards an elderly patient; positive aspects of managing an elderly patient; challenges faced during the management of an elderly patient and suggestions to improve a chiropractic clinical practicum. The participants discussed the importance of having practical experience in managing an elderly patient and the significance of elderly patients being interactive with their own management protocols. The participants elaborated that they did have a sufficient basis to manage elderly patients. Many participants mentioned that they needed to be more involved in the management of elderly patients. Most of the participants felt that managing elderly patients was beneficial and they suggested that learning about elderly patients earlier in their studies would be beneficial to their clinical experience of managing elderly patients. Conclusion This is the first South African study that has been conducted on registered master’s degree chiropractic students’ clinical experiences in managing elderly patients during their clinical practical. This study will add to the existing body of literature and enable other registered master’s degree chiropractic students and new graduate chiropractors to have a better understanding of the management of elderly patients.