An exploratory study of the adequacy of residency education in geriatrics: a methodological description

This study describes a method to evaluate the educational strengths and needs in a family practice residency program. Patient encounter data and a detailed questionnaire to elicit perceptions of residents and faculty were used, followed by site visit meetings using a standardized protocol to discuss the results. These separate data sets validate each other and together triangulate the support of the conclusions. The results of this study indicate that both faculty and residents in a university-affiliated residency program can benefit from increased development in geriatrics. Although this method of studying the adequacy of residency education involved geriatrics, a similar process could be applied equitably to other curricular domains.