A systematic review of surveys on undergraduate teaching of Geriatrics in medical schools in the XXI century

BackgroundDue to population aging, different international organizations recommend that all medical students should receive training in geriatric knowledge and skills.MethodsA systematic review of national and international surveys on the provision of geriatric education to undergraduate medical students was done for articles published from 2000 to July 2013. The analysis included all studies on the presence and characteristics of geriatric teaching in medical schools. Eighteen surveys were identified: 13 in single countries, 3 European-wide, 1 in two countries, and 1 global.ResultsMost surveys were based on the answers of geriatricians and academic staff. Average answer rate was 83%. Forty-one percent of the countries report some geriatric contents in the curricula of their medical schools. Mean national prevalence of geriatric teaching was 81% of medical schools (range 15 to 100%, with wide differences between aged and aging countries); courses were mandatory in only 62%. The main topics taught are geriatric syndromes and geriatric assessment. Between 21% and 65% of the persons responsible for this teaching are geriatricians. An increase in the number of geriatric departments has been observed in Europe and in the USA. Human and financial resources are the main limitations to the inclusion of Geriatrics in the curricula.ConclusionGeriatric training has been evaluated mainly in North American and European countries. Geriatric contents in the medical curricula, academic structures and qualified teachers are not systematically available in most countries. In a rapidly ageing world, many physicians are not receiving formal education on geriatrics at medical schools.