Assessing geriatric capacity building needs in public hospitals in Mexico

To conduct a needs assessment of public hospitals in Mexico to determine workforce specific capacity building needs in the care of older people.

The older population in Mexico is growing rapidly. The healthcare system and workforce may not be prepared to handle the needs of older people, especially those with chronic illnesses who are also disadvantaged socioeconomically. Determining workforce and system needs is important to strategically develop capacity.

A needs assessment using a pragmatic qualitative approach structured this study. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with healthcare professionals at five public hospitals in Mexico. Directed content analysis techniques analysed the data.

Ninety-two healthcare professionals participated in the study. Three themes emerged, including geriatric service delivery, social changes and human resources for health. Participants reported a lack of gerontology knowledge and related clinical skills deficits to provide care for hospitalised elders and expressed emotional distress related to the lack of resources in their institutions. All healthcare professionals expressed strong concern at the social toll the ageing population had on families. The support of government organisations emerged as a facilitator for adoption of geriatric care principles.

This qualitative study uncovered important data to inform the implementation of quality improvement and capacity building models for older people care in Mexico. There appears to be strong potential for a culturally appropriate translation of high-income country older people care models within the Mexican healthcare context.

Findings suggests there is a need to increase geriatric capacity building among helathcare professionals in Mexico. This will be an important step in improving care for hospitalised older people.