title: Geriatrics education is associated with positive attitudes toward older people in internal medicine residents: a multicenter study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The number of older people is growing fast in Turkey. In this context, internal medicine residents and specialists contact older people more frequently. Thus, healthcare providers' knowledge and attitudes toward older people is becoming more important. Studies that specifically investigate internal medicine residents' attitudes toward the elderly are scarce. We aimed to investigate the attitudes of internal medicine residents toward older people.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional multicenter study was undertaken in the internal medicine clinics of six university state hospitals that provide education in geriatric care. All internal medicine residents working in these hospitals were invited to participate in this questionnaire study between March 2013 and December 2013. We recorded the participants' age, sex, duration of internal medicine residency, existence of relatives older than 65 years, history of geriatrics course in medical school, geriatrics rotation in internal medicine residency, and nursing home visits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 274 (82.3%) of the residents participated in this study, and 83.6% of them had positive attitudes toward older people. A geriatrics rotation during internal medicine residency was the only independent factor associated with positive attitudes toward the elderly in this multivariate analysis. A geriatrics course during medical school was associated with positive attitudes in the univariate analysis, but only tended to be so in the multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Geriatrics rotation during internal medicine residency was independently associated with positive attitudes toward older people. Generalization of geriatrics education in developing countries may translate into a better understanding and improved care for older patients.
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tufan
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey. Electronic address: drwalker@mynet.com.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuruyen
authors.affiliation: Gazi University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet Cemal
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kizilarslanoglu
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Timur
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akpinar
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sirhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emiksiye
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics Unit, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yesil
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynel Abidin
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.affiliation: Gazi University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Utku Burak
authors.initials: UB
authors.lastname: Bozbulut
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics Unit, Turkey.
authors.forename: Basak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bolayir
authors.affiliation: Ege University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pinar Tosun
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Tasar
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yavuzer
authors.affiliation: Ege University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevnaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.affiliation: Gazi University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zekeriya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ulger
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gulistan Bahat
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics Unit, Turkey.
authors.forename: Meltem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halil
authors.affiliation: Ege University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fehmi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akcicek
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doventas
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yalcin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kepekci
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nurhan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ince
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Istanbul School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Akif
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Karan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education*; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attitudes toward older people; Geriatrics education; Internal medicine residents