Advancing geriatrics education: an efficient faculty development program for academic hospitalists increases...

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Medical Education
• Hospital Administration

Background:

• Hospitalists increasingly care for elderly patients.
• Effective geriatric education for residents is crucial.
• Existing faculty development programs are often resource-intensive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a train-the-trainer (TTT) model for teaching geriatric skills to hospitalists.
• To assess the model's effectiveness in a time- and resource-limited setting.

Main Methods:

• A 10-hour geriatric curriculum (Reynolds Program for Advancing Geriatrics Education - PAGE) was delivered over one year.
• The program utilized exportable teaching modules during existing noon conferences.
• A cross-sectional survey assessed satisfaction, self-efficacy, and resident-reported teaching and skill use.

Main Results:

• The geriatric curriculum received high ratings from leaders and hospitalist faculty.
• Hospitalists reported improved geriatric teaching self-efficacy and high likelihood of using new tools.
• Residents experienced significantly more geriatrics teaching and a trend towards increased skill practice.

Conclusions:

• A concise faculty development program can effectively enhance geriatric teaching by hospitalists.
• Integrating such programs into existing meetings is a feasible strategy.
• This approach can improve geriatric skill development in academic medical centers.