Ageism among medical trainees and interns in Turkey and related factors

The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of medical trainees and interns towards ageism and the factors that influence their attitudes. The population of the descriptive and cross-sectional study consisted of 165 trainees and 495 interns, a total of 660 medical students. The Turkish version of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism was used to evaluate attitudes toward older adult among medical students. Students of male gender, medical trainees, not living with grandparents, not visiting nursing homes, those who do not intend to pursue a career in geriatric medicine, and no prior care experiences with older adults were more likely to have negative attitudes toward older adults (p<0,05). The conclusion of this study was that the students who took part were more likely to have slightly negative attitudes toward older adults. However, medical trainees have more positive attitudes than interns. It is recommended that medical students should have a geriatric rotation, that students should be counseled on this issue, that ageing and the ageing process should be included more in the curriculum, and that interaction with older people in clinical practice and field studies should be increased.