Search

Despite widespread reforms in medical education across China, nationally there has been no mandate or movement toward systemically incorporating geriatrics into curricula. To what degree medical students are trained and have exposure to geriatric topics remains unclear. We surveyed 190 medical students during their final year of medical school at a Chinese medical university, graduating from reformed and also traditional curricula. The survey was comprised of a subjective assessment of attitudes and reported knowledge, as well as an objective assessment of knowledge via a multiple choice test. Student attitudes were favorable toward geriatrics, with 91% supporting the addition of specialized clinical experiences to the curriculum. Students generally reported low exposure to geriatrics, with no statistically significant differences between reform and traditional curricula. There was a statistically significant difference in performance on the multiple choice test between curricula but at a degree unlikely to be practically significant. Students had very favorable attitudes toward geriatrics as a field and specialty; however scored poorly on competency exams, with the lowest performance around diagnosis and treatment of specific geriatric conditions. Our results suggest that there is a need and desire for increased geriatric-oriented learning at Chinese medical schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There have been few studies performed or guidelines made to address which topics in Infectious Diseases (ID) should be essential for medicine residents to learn during their training for their future practice of clinical medicine. Furthermore, when residents rotate on ID specialty electives, rarely is there formalized, standardized instruction tailored to residents. Thus, the purpose of this project is to define which core topics in ID residents should focus on learning during their training as pertains to clinical practice rather than for simply passing Internal Medicine (IM) board exams, which many programs tend to instead use as a guide for teaching ID content. Methods An online survey was designed and distributed to the faculty of the University of Chicago Medicine (UChicago) IM and ID sections. The survey was 8 questions, one of which was to rank 28 topics in ID on a modified 5-point Likert scale (1 = "absolutely unimportant;" 5 = "absolutely essential") with regards to importance for a resident to practice general medicine. A cutoff for inclusion was ≥ 4.0 (moderate importance) and ≥ 25% of the faculty ranking the topic as absolutely essential. Open-ended feedback was encouraged and evaluated via a semi-structured evaluation. Results The survey was distributed to the 88 attendings in the UChicago ID and general IM sections. The response rates were 85% (ID) and 44% (IM). Ten of the 28 topics were ranked ≥ 4.0 (moderate importance) and had ≥ 25% of the faculty designate the topic as absolutely essential (Figure 1). Open-ended feedback included to focus on value-based care, to include Infection Control, and to focus on areas not taught in other aspects of their residency curriculum such as in their outpatient rotations. A majority (61%) indicated that 2–5 hours of structured teaching (lectures, online modules, etc.) would be most appropriate during a 2-week ID specialty rotation. Conclusion This project defined the core topics in ID that medicine residents should focus on learning during their training. The next step will be a needs-assessment to survey baseline resident knowledge of the above topics. The ultimate the goal will be to design, deliver, and evaluate an ID curriculum that focuses on teaching this core content. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]