The difference between Japan and other countries, in particular the United Kingdom, in views regarding the teaching of geriatrics to undergraduate medical students

[Undergraduate geriatric education in foreign countries]

In Japan, which has become a super-aged society, medical care for the elderly is more important than ever before. Geriatric education for medical students and young doctors is essential to ensure the best medical care possible for the elderly. In this paper, the Working Group for Education of the Japan Geriatrics Society collected and analyzed data and information on undergraduate education in the fields of geriatrics and gerontology at medical schools in various countries through the Internet, comparing the findings with those in Japan. Of the countries surveyed, 62% had undergraduate education in geriatrics and gerontology as mandatory subjects in medical school. Countries with advanced welfare programs, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada and New Zealand, performed substantial undergraduate education in geriatrics and gerontology. A lack of available staff and time for education was cited as a hurdle in many countries. The importance of education in geriatrics and gerontology is being emphasized in many countries, but few programs are satisfactory at present. The "struggle" to improve undergraduate education in geriatrics and gerontology therefore continues. We should endeavor to improve education in the fields of geriatrics and gerontology by working hand in hand with geriatricians and gerontologists around the world.

Teaching of geriatric health in India: Mapping the terrain

India is currently undergoing a rapid demographic transition along with a dramatic upsurge in the number of elderly adults. Creating a cadre of specialized health care professionals in geriatric medicine is clearly vital to address the health care needs of this growing population. The authors undertook a mapping of the available academic programs in geriatric health in India and examined their content, duration, architecture, and student intake. A total of 20 programs were identified in geriatric health, thus highlighting a paucity of training options in this field. Compared to Western countries, relatively few programs are offered in clinical and public health geriatrics in India. This is further compounded by an insignificant thrust of geriatrics in undergraduate health professional curricula. Our results underscore the need for a national-level curricular initiative to strengthen and mainstream the teaching of geriatric health in the country. Alternative educational strategies such as blended learning and interprofessional education should be explored to enhance geriatric health workforce competence.

Care of the elderly: survey of teaching in an aging sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a rapidly aging population is presenting challenges to health care systems. Doctors need specialized knowledge to be prepared for the increase in age-related medical conditions. This study aims to investigate the current provision of geriatrics education (GE) in SSA medical schools and discover some of the barriers faced in its implementation. Questionnaires were sent to a list of medical schools in SSA, supplied by the sub-Saharan African Medical Schools Study. Responses were received from 25/135 institutions (19%), representing 11 countries in SSA. Of these institutions, 4% taught geriatrics and 40% had no geriatrics teaching. The largest perceived barriers to GE were a lack of staff expertise (72%), lack of funding (52%), and absence of geriatrics in the national curricula (48%). There are still a large number of medical schools in SSA who do not teach geriatrics. Improvements in GE should be implemented through local approaches and national policy, while appreciating the cultural context and economic constraints of each country to prepare future doctors for the increasing challenges of an aging population.

The Knowledge-Attitude Dissociation in Geriatric Education: Can It be Overcome?

Introduction: A knowledge-attitude dissociation often exists in geriatrics where knowledge but not attitudes towards elderly patients improve with education. This study aims to determine whether a holistic education programme incorporating multiple educational strategies such as early exposure, ageing simulation and small group teaching results in improving geriatrics knowledge and attitudes among medical students. Materials and Methods: We administered the 18-item University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Geriatric Knowledge Test (GKT) and the Singapore-modified 16-item UCLA Geriatric Attitudes Test (GAT) to 2nd year students of the old curriculum in 2009 (baseline reference cohort, n = 254), and before and after the new module to students of the new curriculum in 2010 (intervention cohort, n = 261), both at the same time of the year. Results: At baseline, between the baseline reference and intervention cohort, there was no difference in knowledge (UCLA-GKT Score: 31.6 vs 33.5, P = 0.207) but attitudes of the intervention group were worse than the baseline reference group (UCLA-GAT Score: 3.53 vs 3.43, P = 0.003). The new module improved both the geriatric knowledge (UCLA-GKT Score: 34.0 vs 46.0, P<0.001) and attitudes (UCLA-GAT Score: 3.43 vs 3.50, P <0.001) of the intervention cohort. Conclusion: A geriatric education module incorporating sound educational strategies improved both geriatric knowledge and attitudes among medical students. Key words: Asian medical school, Geriatrics attitudes, Geriatrics knowledge, Undergraduate medical student

Perspectives in medical education - 4. A "global" dimension to reform at Keio University

Keio University School of Medicine is awakening to the realization that it will achieve international recognition as a center of excellence in medical education and healthcare only by inculcating clinical skills and critical thinking in its medical graduates. A new "global" perspective identifies the traditional failure of Japanese medical education to provide its graduates with clinical skills training as the root cause of a number of deficiencies. These include (i) the reluctance of Japanese medical graduates to seek global experience; (ii) the absence of interest in the global healthcare marketplace for Japanese medical graduates as potential recruits; (iii) the failure to incorporate globally accepted innovations, like problem-based learning, in Japanese medical education; (iv) the failure to follow globally accepted standards of clinical practice in Japan; (v) the lack of instruction in general internal medicine in Japan; and (vi) the neglect of evidence-based medicine in Japanese healthcare practice. Keio University is embarking on an ambitious effort that commits both the will and resources necessary to reform medical education at Keio in accordance with global norms. The initiatives currently underway include (i) incorporating PBL into the curriculum to foster active learning, (ii) implementing measures to promote interactive teaching techniques among the faculty, and (iii) granting recognition to teachers through new promotion policies. Wider implementation of these initiatives across the country will enable Japanese healthcare and Japanese physicians to occupy their rightful place of respect in the global healthcare market, comparable to the widespread international recognition given to Japanese medical researchers.

Perspectives in Medical Education

A blueprint for reform of medical education in Japan is presented, with the goal of training well rounded physicians who possess the ability to think critically and the clinical skill to function as generalists before they enter specialty training. Practical solutions are offered in three problem areas that lie at the heart of the shortcomings in Japanese medical education. They have to do with (i) the way Japanese students learn, (ii) the way Japanese teachers teach, and (iii) the material that students are taught. The inherently passive nature of Japanese students can be changed by emphasizing "active learning" and "critical thinking at the bedside" through a problem-oriented approach, both in the classroom and in the wards. Changing student learning, however, requires a commitment to teaching. At the present time, there is no incentive to teach at all, let alone teach in a constructive or interactive way. Teaching is widely perceived as a burden that takes time away from research, rather than as a credible and rewarding academic pursuit. Thus, promotion policies must be altered to reward teachers and accord teaching its rightful place as a primary function of the faculty. Finally, the introduction of active learning and interactive teaching depends on reducing the current emphasis on didactic instruction, which is passive and unidirectional. Thus, medical school curricula must be restructured to emphasize a problem-oriented, organ system-based approach throughout medical school, starting from the preclinical years. Reforms in all three areas must be implemented in concert for them to succeed.