Study on the geriatric education for medical undergraduates and their preferences for geriatric medical services in China

Abstract

Objective To analyze geriatric medical education for medical undergraduate students and its effects. Methods Mainly based on stratified cluster random sampling, a self-administered questionnaire survey of 2333 medical undergraduates was conducted in 9 medical colleges and universities. Results Among respondents who studied geriatric medical knowledge, 83.8% (1622/1935)of them deemed that health services for the elderly were quite or somewhat different from those for the common population, which was higher than that for those who did not studied geriatric medical knowledge (77.3%) (308/398). 11.3% (45/398)of respondents who did not studied geriatric medical knowledge were unwilling to provide health services for the elderly, which was higher than that for those who studied geriatric medical knowledge (7.5%)(145/1935). Those who were unwilling to choose a career in geriatric medicine accounted for 27.1% (308/398)among those who did not study geriatric medical knowledge, which was obviously higher than that for those who studied geriatric medical knowledge (17.3%)(334/1935). Conclusions Geriatric medical education is likely to improve medical undergraduates’ perception of geriatric medicine and enhance their preferences to provide the elderly with medical services and choose a career in geriatric medicine. Key words: Geriatric medical education; Medical major; Undergraduate; Questionnaire survey