Medical Faculty Beliefs: Self-Rated Importance and Confidence in Teaching Geriatrics Primary Care

Kathryn Hyer, Dylan J. Jester, Adrian N.S. Badana, Rita D'Aoust, Bruce E. Robinson, Lucy Guerra, Melanie Michael, Victor Molinari, Amy Schwartz, Dawn Schocken, Todd Wills, Cheryl Wilson, Ross Andel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and contrast 25 content areas essential to the primary care of older adults by medical faculty, thus identifying faculty beliefs and areas of possible improvement. DESIGN: Using measures from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, and Healthy People 2020, nine practicing clinical faculty identified 25 content areas essential to the primary care of older adults. SETTING: A large academic health center in southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-two university medical faculty. MEASUREMENTS: Faculty rated importance, knowledge, and confidence in teaching the 25 content areas on a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high). Gap scores reflecting the difference in ratings for importance and confidence in teaching were calculated and assessed. The survey had high internal consistency within each of the three domains—Cronbach's α >.94. RESULTS: The most important content areas were being able to explain details about patient's condition and taking medication clearly, followed by taking age-appropriate history. The three largest gaps were: “evaluating sensory impairment,” “identifying and counseling at-risk drivers,” and “evaluating cognition.” The three smallest gaps were: “explaining prescribed medications,” “explaining health conditions in easy-to-understand language,” and “taking an age-appropriate patient history and performing a physical assessment.”. CONCLUSION: Medical faculty were comfortable with topics reflecting primary care expertise but expressed less confidence with more specialized topics, such as sensory or cognitive impairment and driving. This may represent key areas for geriatrics training applicable to all those involved in education and training of future healthcare professionals. Integration of specialists (eg, neurologists, psychiatrists) may improve the geriatrics curricula. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:576–580, 2019.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)576-580
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of the American Geriatrics Society
Volume67
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2019

Keywords

  • faculty confidence
  • geriatrics education
  • primary care

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geriatrics and Gerontology

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