Preventive Medicine and Public Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Health Services Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
BMC Med Educ. 2023 Sep 8;23(1):649. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04626-1.
The motivation for this study stemmed from the growing population of older adults and the increasing demand for healthcare professionals who possess the necessary skills and knowledge to provide quality care to this demographic. By exploring the attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of medical students towards older adult care, the study aimed to identify gaps in their training and areas where improvements can be made to better equip them for this critical aspect of healthcare.
This study was a qualitative thematic analysis. The participants of this research were selected from among the general medicine internship students of Iran University of Medical Sciences by purposive sampling method. In-depth individual semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Sampling continued until data saturation. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a hybrid approach of inductive and deductive thematic analysis. Using this approach, the analysis of the data became more adaptable and open-ended, free from the restrictions of pre-existing theoretical frameworks. MAXQDA 22 was used to analyze qualitative data.
A total of 27 medical students were interviewed semi-structured, and audio files were transcribed immediately after the interview. In the process of reading the interviews carefully and separating the conceptual units into codes, 167 primary codes were obtained, and these codes were divided into five main categories under the title of root factors after constant comparison analysis. Five main themes are including discrimination in service delivery, a lack of inter-professional training, interpersonal communication skills, inadequate infrastructure and human resources, and enhancing attitudes towards older person care through experiential learning.
This study sheds light on the attitudes and perceptions of medical students toward older adult care in a lower-middle-income country. The findings reveal that there are significant gaps in their training and preparation for providing quality care to this demographic profile. The four main categories identified as root factors highlight key areas where improvements can be made in medical education. It is recommended that medical schools in low and middle-income countries consider incorporating these themes into their curricula to better equip future healthcare professionals with the necessary skills and knowledge to provide quality care to older adults.
本研究的动机源于老年人口的增长以及对具备必要技能和知识以向这一人群提供优质护理的医疗保健专业人员的需求不断增加。通过探讨医学生对老年护理的态度、看法和信念，本研究旨在确定他们培训中的差距，并确定可以改进的领域，以使他们更好地为医疗保健的这一关键方面做好准备。
本研究为定性主题分析。本研究的参与者是通过目的抽样法从伊朗医科大学普通医学实习学生中选择的。采用深入的个人半结构式访谈收集数据。继续采样，直到数据饱和。访谈进行了录音、转录，并使用归纳和演绎主题分析的混合方法进行分析。使用这种方法，数据分析更加具有适应性和开放性，不受预先存在的理论框架的限制。MAXQDA 22 用于分析定性数据。
共对 27 名医学生进行了半结构式访谈，并在访谈后立即转录音频文件。在仔细阅读访谈并将概念单元分离成代码的过程中，获得了 167 个初级代码，这些代码在经过反复比较分析后被分为五个主要类别，标题为根本因素。五个主要主题包括服务提供中的歧视、缺乏跨专业培训、人际沟通技巧、基础设施和人力资源不足，以及通过体验式学习增强对老年人护理的态度。
本研究揭示了中低收入国家医学生对老年护理的态度和看法。研究结果表明，他们在为这一人群提供优质护理的培训和准备方面存在重大差距。确定的四个主要类别为根本因素，突出了医学教育可以改进的关键领域。建议中低收入国家的医学院校考虑将这些主题纳入课程，以使未来的医疗保健专业人员更好地掌握向老年人提供优质护理所需的技能和知识。
