Abstract
BackgroundTo deliver high quality of care for the growing population of older patients more geriatricians are needed. However, the interest of medical students for a career in geriatrics is lagging behind due to a lack of exposure, the nature of the work, and the low status and financial rewards.So far, only isolated interventions aimed at enhancing interest and/or attitudes with regard to geriatrics have been studied, pointing to the need for a broader-based strategy. The goal of this research is to find elements for a curriculum framework that can raise medical students’ enthusiasm for the medical care of elderly patients.MethodsWe used the concept mapping method developed by Trochim. This computer-assisted procedure consists of five steps: brainstorming, prioritizing and clustering with several experts, followed by processing by the computer and analysis.ResultsThe views that were generated were grouped into the following clusters: a patient-centered medical curriculum, a curriculum representative of patient population, geriatrics presented as intellectually challenging and emotionally appealing, senior-friendly role models, a clear professional perspective.The results are presented in the form of a graphic chart.ConclusionsAn agenda to discuss the necessary actions for drastic curricular reforms in medical schools is set. This may give some guidance to this urgent, but highly complicated issue how to make medical student enthusiastic for the medical care for elderly patients.
Highlights
To deliver high quality of care for the growing population of older patients more geriatricians are needed
There is an increasing demand for geriatricians or physician workforce to care for older people, due to a growing population of elderly people
In some countries geriatric care can be delivered by nursing home physicians or by general practitioners and Meiboom et al BMC Medical Education (2018) 18:238 internists
Summary
To deliver high quality of care for the growing population of older patients more geriatricians are needed. There is an increasing demand for geriatricians or physician workforce to care for older people, due to a growing population of elderly people. A review that summarizes studies that assess the quality of care of vulnerable elderly in different settings, concludes. In some countries geriatric care can be delivered by nursing home physicians or by general practitioners and Meiboom et al BMC Medical Education (2018) 18:238 internists. There is a need for a growing physician workforce caring for older people in Europe and medical students have to be trained in the skills of geriatric medicine [6, 7]
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