Use of geriatrics at your fingertips, a pocket guide, to educate physiatrists in geriatric care¹ ☆

Abstract 

Siebens H, Tucker J, Leander K. Use of Geriatrics At Your Fingertips, a pocket guide, to educate physiatrists in geriatric care. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:1552–4.

Objective

To determine whether a geriatric pocket guide, Geriatrics At Your Fingertips, may be a useful tool in educating physiatrists about the care of their older patients.

Design

Geriatrics At Your Fingertips was distributed through the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) to physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residents and practicing physiatrists. Two questionnaires evaluated guide use.

Setting

Two academic PM&R departments and physiatrists in the United States.

Participants

Two PM&R residency programs, members of AAPM&R’s Geriatric Rehabilitation Special Interest Group (GR-SIG), and AAPM&R’s membership.

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

Identification of clinically useful information by residents and GR-SIG members and frequency of guide use among AAPM&R membership.

Results

Forty-five PM&R residents and 17 GR-SIG members reported examples of useful information. Geriatrics At Your Fingertips was requested by 483 AAPM&R members. Forty-six percent returned questionnaires (N=223). Seventy percent had used the guide at least once and 49% 4 or more times.

Conclusions

Geriatrics At Your Fingertips is a useful tool with which to educate PM&R residents and physiatrists about geriatric care.

Keywords:  Education, medical, Geriatrics, Learning, Physical medicine, Rehabilitation

• 1 No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.