PRP017: An Intervention to Improve Geriatric Primary Care Training at an Urban Under-served Family Medicine Training Program

Blaine Olsen, MD; Tyler Jones, MD; Kathryn Seitz, MD

Abstract

Context: There is a shortage of formally trained geriatricians in the United States. Thus, strong geriatric training in primary care residency programs is of utmost importance. At the Saint Joseph Hospital family medicine residency program, the geriatric medicine curriculum was identified to be in need of improvement based on evaluations completed by resident physicians. Areas identified for improvement included too little time spent on geriatric training, a lack of structured didactic teaching, and perceived low importance for learning. Objective: To improve resident training in geriatric medicine at our family medicine residency program through a multi-faceted approach. Study design: Mixed-methods study using qualitative and numerical surveys. Setting: Urban, under-served community based family medicine residency program. Population studied: Family medicine resident physicians. Interventions: Interventions include expanding the scope of the in-house geriatric clinic by increasing availability of geriatric focused appointments, development of a referral workflow and geriatric-specific evaluations; creating a structured didactic curriculum; increasing exposure to different modes of geriatric practice such as home visits, hospice care, and PACE (Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly) programs; leveraging pre-existing resources that have been underutilized like palliative care specialists and pharmacists; and increasing percentage of clinical time spent on geriatric specific experiences during the rotation. Outcome measures: The primary outcome measured will be ratings of overall educational value after completion of a 4 week geriatric medicine rotation. Secondary outcomes include ratings of self-reported importance of subject matter, effectiveness of teaching, and percentage of clinical time spent on geriatric specific experiences. Qualitative assessment will also be conducted regarding overall impressions, strengths, and areas for further improvement of the geriatric rotation experience. Results: Anticipated results include improved awareness of the importance of geriatric medicine training, effectiveness of teaching, time spent in geriatric care experiences, and perceived value of the rotation. This project is a work in progress. The data presented will be from the first five months of a 12 month long quality improvement project.
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Doug Fernald
doug.fernald@cuanschutz.edu 11/24/2020

This looks very promising. Can't wait to see results!

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