THE STATE OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY TRAINING IN GENERAL PSYCHIATRY RESIDENCY: DATA FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY OF U.S. PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Abstract

Introduction The 2012 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report identified a staggering increase in older adults with anticipated need for mental health and substance use treatment (1). By 2030, the United States population of elderly adults is anticipated to increase from 40.3 to 72.1 million, with 14-20% of this population estimated to have a mental health or substance use disorder ( 1 ). However, the IOM report cautions that the projected workforce remains inadequate to meet these pressing needs. Geriatric psychiatrists play a critical role providing subspecialty care to elderly patients with mental health, substance use, and neurocognitive disorders. Since 2010, the total number of geriatric psychiatry fellows has plummeted by 31% ( 4 , 5 , 6 ); this decrease in numbers ( 2 ) is a substantial concern. This study aims to investigate geriatric psychiatry training opportunities in general adult psychiatry residency programs and specific educational factors which may be associated with residents pursuing geriatric psychiatry subspecialty training. Methods The American Medical Association's Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA) was queried to compile a contact list of program directors from Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited general adult psychiatry residency programs ( 3 ). The program directors were emailed an anonymous multiple choice survey using Qualtrics software to ascertain the nature of their program's geriatric psychiatry training experiences. The survey's domains of inquiry included the following: the quantity and quality of geriatric clinical and didactic experiences, the settings of training in geriatric psychiatry, the number of faculty with geriatric psychiatry specialization, and the number of graduates who pursued geriatric fellowships. Program directors were also asked about their familiarity with the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) Scholars Program. Data analysis will be performed on survey responses. Results The authors will present survey data and compare results to previously published literature. Conclusions This work will contribute to the field by describing the current state of geriatric training in general psychiatry residency and examining whether these educational factors correlate to residents pursuing geriatric psychiatry fellowships. This research was funded by No funding sources supported this work.