Elder care as “frustrating” and “boring”: Understanding the persistence of negative attitudes toward older patients among physicians-in-training

Why geriatric medicine? A survey of UK specialist trainees in geriatric medicine

“…In the United Kingdom, a modest growth in demand for training in the specialty has failed to keep pace with the increased demand within the National Health Service (NHS) for fully-trained geriatricians [4]. This may, in part, be due to negative perceptions towards the specialty, and the patient cohort for which we provide care, reported in surveys of both junior doctors [8][9][10] and medical students [11][12].…”

Lessons learned from narrative feedback of students on a geriatric training program

“…Earlier research has found indications of the powerful influence of the hidden curriculum and presumptions about older patients (Higashi et al, 2012). There is also some literature on the influence of the attitudes of senior physicians and the organization of the medical system on perceptions about geriatrics (Gaufberg et al, 2010;Higashi et al, 2012;Thomas et al, 2003). This study demonstrates that narrative reflection essays can reveal influential elements in the hidden curriculum and that clarifying the statements about these elements in focus group discussions can provide a substrate for altering these hidden curriculum effects.…”

“…Inconsistencies between what is taught in the formal curriculum and what students experience in the ritual behaviors, assumptions, and commonly-held beliefs of their fellow students and clinician-teachers (the hidden curriculum) creates tension in the process of forging a sense of their professional identity. Earlier research has found indications of the powerful influence of the hidden curriculum and presumptions about older patients (Higashi et al, 2012). There is also some literature on the influence of the attitudes of senior physicians and the organization of the medical system on perceptions about geriatrics (Gaufberg et al, 2010;Higashi et al, 2012;Thomas et al, 2003).…”

Emerging themes in using narrative in geriatric care: Implications for patient-centered practice and interprofessional teamwork

“…Older adults are often seen as "frustrating" and "boring" in a clinical culture that emphasizes treatment to restore patients to their previous level of functioning. For example, some medical students have expressed the feeling that the care of older adults is primarily nursing or social work, and that they did not go to medical school to do this type of routine, basic, maintenance kind of care that does not have significant impacts on improving patient outcomes (Higashi et al, 2012).…”