Community psychiatrists who see geriatric patients: what's training got to do with it?
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the issues influencing psychiatrists' decisions to provide care to the under-served geriatric population.


METHODS
Community-based psychiatrists who see geriatric patients participated in focus group discussions exploring factors that influence the characteristics of their current practices.


RESULTS
Personal themes, environmental issues and quality of residency training emerged as important factors interacting in eventual practice choice. Major influences within training programs included teachers, diverse patient exposure and high-quality essential skills teaching.


CONCLUSIONS
Residency program curricula might capitalize on these to better prepare residents and enhance the likelihood of graduates eventually choosing to incorporate geriatric patients into their practices.
Lieff
Susan
S
Faculty Development Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. s.lieff@utoronto.ca
Andrew
Melissa
M
Tiberius
Richard
R
D000368:Aged; D003158:Community Psychiatry / Q000193:education; D003479:Curriculum; D003657:Decision Making; D017144:Focus Groups; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D009864:Ontario; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000078329:Workforce