Innovative curriculum is needed to address residents’ attitudes toward older adults: the case of geriatric trauma

BMC Medical Education

Brett Mador¹  Michael Kim¹  Najma Ahmed²  Matthew P. Guttman³  Barbara Haas⁴  Avery B. Nathens⁵  Sarah Wheeler⁶  Lesley Gotlib Conn⁷ 

[1] Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada;Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL, United States;Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Ontario Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;

关键词: Resident education;    Curriculum;    Geriatric;    Trauma;    Surgical training;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12909-022-03196-y

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMedical trainees’ negative perceptions towards older adult care have been widely reported, catalyzing targeted curricula in geriatric medicine. Little is known about surgical residents’ attitudes toward and perceptions of the educational value of caring for injured older adults. This information is needed to ensure the surgical workforce is adequately trained to care for this growing patient population. In this study, we assessed surgical trainees’ attitudes towards geriatric trauma care to inform a curriculum in geriatric trauma.MethodsWe surveyed North American general surgery trainees’ beliefs and attitudes toward caring for older trauma patients, and the educational value they ascribed to learning about older trauma patient care. Descriptive statistics were used to report participant characteristics and responses.ResultsThree hundred general surgery trainees from 94 post-graduate programs responded. Respondents reported too much time co-ordinating care (56%), managing non-operative patients (56%), and discharge planning (65%), all activities important to the care of older trauma patients. They recognized the importance of geriatric trauma care for their future careers (52%) but were least interested in reading about managing geriatric trauma patients (28%). When asked to rank clinical vignettes by educational value, respondents ranked the case of an older adult as least interesting (74%). As respondents progressed through their training, they reported less interest in geriatric trauma care.ConclusionsOur survey results demonstrate the generally negative attitudes and beliefs held by postgraduate surgical trainees towards the care of older adult trauma patients. Future work should focus on identifying specific changes to the postgraduate surgical curriculum which can effectively alter these attitudes and beliefs and improve the care for injured older adults.

【 授权许可】

CC BY