UK medical teaching about ageing is improving but there is still work to be done: the Second National Survey of Undergraduate Teaching in Ageing and Geriatric Medicine

Abstract

Introduction: in 2008, a UK national survey of undergraduate teaching about ageing and geriatric medicine identified deficiencies, including failure to adequately teach about elder abuse, pressure ulcers and bio- and social gerontology. We repeated the survey in 2013 to consider whether the situation had improved.Method: the deans of all 31 UK medical schools were invited to nominate a respondent with an overview of their undergraduate curriculum. Nominees were invited by email and letter to complete an online questionnaire quantifying topics taught, type of teaching and assessment undertaken, and the amount of time spent on teaching.Results: one school only taught pre-clinical medicine and declined to participate. Of the 30 remaining schools, 20 responded and 19 provided analysable data. The majority of the schools (95–100%) provided teaching in delirium, dementia, stroke, falls, osteoporosis, extra-pyramidal disorders, polypharmacy, incontinence, ethics and mental capacity. Only 68% of the schools taught about elder abuse. Thirty-seven per cent taught a recognised classification of the domains of health used in Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). The median (range) total time spent on teaching in ageing and geriatric medicine was 55.5 (26–192) h. There was less reliance on informal teaching and improved assessment:teaching ratios compared with the 2008 survey.Conclusions: there was an improvement in teaching and assessment of learning outcomes in ageing and geriatric medicine for UK undergraduates between 2008 and 2013. However, further work is needed to increase the amount of teaching time devoted to ageing and to improve teaching around elder abuse and the domains of health used in CGA.

New horizons in geriatric medicine education and training: The need for pan-European education and training standards

“…It is important to highlight the limited time dedicated to geriatric medicine topics in undergraduate medical education and also its variability across Europe [10,14]; these findings add weight to the argument for the need for consensus on post-graduate training length, since the baseline competencies of new trainees is likely to be variable. There is also notable variety in the regulatory bodies that are responsible for post-graduate geriatric medicine training across European countries -these include national medical associations, health ministries and universities.…”

The development and evaluation of mini-GEMs – short, focused, online e-learning videos in geriatric medicine

“…National survey data from the United Kingdom in 2013 found the median time devoted to formal teaching about geriatric medicine was only 55 hours out of a five year programme [2].…”

Geriatrics for juniors: tomorrow’s geriatricians or another lost tribe?

“…These themes may in part be explained by the limited time allocated to specific teaching on geriatric medicine in UK medical schools. 7 As Gordon et al 7 stressed, simply being 'around' old people does not guarantee learning and understanding of core geriatric topics such as frailty, cognitive impairment or comprehensive geriatric assessment.…”

“…First, serial survey work has demonstrated that while there has been an increase in the number of UK medical schools teaching and assessing geriatric medicine, a comparatively small amount of time is allocated to teaching on ageing. 6,7 Second, evidence exists suggesting that some students have negative attitudes towards older people 8 and perceive the specialty to lack prestige. 9 Recent work by Ni Chroinin et al 10 examined the career preferences of a cohort of medical students in the final 18 months of their degree.…”