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    Factors related to medical students’ and doctors’ attitudes towards older patients: a systematic review

    Samra, R. and Cox, Tom and Gordon, A.L. and Conroy, S.P. and Lucassen, M.F.G. and Griffiths, A. (2017) Factors related to medical students’ and doctors’ attitudes towards older patients: a systematic review. Age and Ageing 46 (6), pp. 911-919. ISSN 1468-2834.

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    Abstract

    Background: studies have sought to identify the possible determinants of medical students’ and doctors’ attitudes towards older patients by examining relationships with a variety of factors: demographic, educational/training, exposure to older people, personality/cognitive and job/career factors. This review collates and synthesises these findings. Methods: an electronic search of 10 databases was performed (ABI/Inform, ASSIA, British Nursing Index, CINAHL, Informa Health, Medline, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science) through to 7 February 2017. Results: the main search identified 2,332 articles; 37 studies met the eligibility criteria set. All included studies analysed self-reported attitudes based on correlational analyses or difference testing, therefore causation could not be determined. However, self-reported positive attitudes towards older patients were related to: (i) intrinsic motivation for studying medicine, (ii) increased preference for working with older patients and (iii) good previous relationships with older people. Additionally, more positive attitudes were also reported in those with higher knowledge scores but these may relate to the use of a knowledge assessment which is an indirect measure of attitudes (i.e. Palmore's Facts on Aging Quizzes). Four out of the five high quality studies included in this review reported more positive attitudes in females compared to males. Conclusion: this article identifies factors associated with medical students’ and doctors’ positive attitudes towards older patients. Future research could bring greater clarity to the relationship between knowledge and attitudes by using a knowledge measure which is distinct from attitudes and also measures knowledge that is relevant to clinical care.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): physician, medical student, attitude, older adult, systematic review
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Business and Law > Birkbeck Business School
    Research Centres and Institutes: Sustainable Working Life, Centre for
    SWORD Depositor: Mr Joe Tenant
    Depositing User: Mr Joe Tenant
    Date Deposited: 23 Mar 2018 15:05
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:40
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/21724

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