Geriatrics in Family Medicine Residency Program: Training Conditions and Suggestions

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: With the number of geriatric population on a steep increase, the roles of family physicians broaden to give comprehensive medical care to the elderly. Therefore, geriatrics is becoming increasingly more important for the residents of family medicine. The authors have surveyed and researched on resident's current attention, actual training conditions, and future needs on geriatrics. METHODS: Family medicine residents in 79 hospitals registered to Korean Family Medicine Resident Union were enrolled. By means of electronic and postage mail surveys, informations were gathered; including demographics, the order of importance of nine training curricula, the necessity of training itself, the facility and academic conference of geriatrics training. RESULTS: A total of 173 residents in 45 hospitals replied with return rates of 51.9%. Among the total, 169 (97.7%) of the answered agreed on the necessity of geriatrics training. Of the nine curricula, geriatrics was considered the most important. And residents considered family medicine outpatient department and inpatient ward to be the most important place for geriatrics training. Furthermore, the residents considered elderly's diseases or symptoms as more important conference title, but the parameters such as the quality of life, physiology of aging, care in nursing home were considered less important. CONCLUSION: The geriatrics training program is not up to the standards of residents' satisfaction. This is considered to be due to the absence of a formal training program. To provide a better care for the elderly, it is compulsory to gain broad knowledge of geriatrics and actual experience out in the field.