Geriatric Content in Medical School Curricula: Results of a National Survey (original) (raw)

Abstract

Despite recent gains in establishing academic sections, divisions, and departments of geriatrics in medical schools, much remains to be done to meet the medical needs of an aging population. To better understand how medical schools are educating students in geriatric-related topics, all U.S. allopathic and osteopathic medical schools were surveyed in two waves, in 1999 and 2000, using a questionnaire based on recommendations from the Education Committee of the American Geriatrics Society. Responding schools were more likely to address diseases and conditions of aging, psychosocial issues, and ethical issues and less likely to cover anatomic changes, nutrition, knowledge of healthcare financing, outcome measurement, and cultural aspects of aging. Although limited, the results indicate that medical schools have increased coverage of aging-related material, although further expansion of geriatric content will be necessary to meet the needs of an aging society. J Am Geriatr Soc 53: 136-140, 2005.

Key takeaways

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  1. Medical schools must increase geriatric training to meet the needs of a projected 20% older population by 2030.
  2. Only 36% of medical schools defined specific learning objectives for geriatrics; this hinders effective curriculum development.
  3. The mean didactic time allocated to geriatrics was 14.4 hours, but student perceptions of adequacy are low.
  4. Geriatric faculty spent only 7.8% of their time on medical student education, limiting training opportunities.
  5. The survey revealed a 67% response rate from medical schools, highlighting engagement but also potential biases.

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References (11)

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