Interest in geriatrics education among family practitioners and internists in Virginia

To determine primary care physicians' interest in continuing medical education (CME) in geriatrics, the authors surveyed all Virginia family practice (FP) physicians and internal medicine (IM) physicians, a total of 1,882. Sixty-one percent (1,139) responded, of which 56% were FP physicians and 44% were in IM. On a visual analog scale to measure the physicians' interest in geriatrics education (from 1 = unimportant to 10 = very important), the FP physicians' mean score was 6.4; the IM physicians' mean score was 6.1. The preferred form of education was a two-to-three-day conference, and the preferred topics were acute care, long-term care, and rehabilitation. Stepwise multiple regression showed that the physicians' intent to take the Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine examination was the major predictor of their interest in geriatrics education (R2 = .12, p = .0001). Also significant contributors were the total amount of geriatric care the physicians provided, the home visits they provided, their prior participation in geriatrics CME conferences, absence of a negative attitude toward the Medicare system, and their lack of confidence in their current knowledge of geriatrics. The final model could account for 20% of these physicians' interest in future CME in geriatrics (R2 = .20). These findings may help geriatrics educators develop methods to educate primary care providers about geriatrics.