New horizons in geriatric medicine education and training: The need for pan-European education and training standards

Publication date: Available online 12 October 2017 Source:European Geriatric Medicine Author(s): J.M. Fisher, T. Masud, E.A. Holm, R.E. Roller-Wirnsberger, A.E. Stuck, A. Gordon, H. Blain, P. Knight, T. Frühwald, J. Petermans, M.S. Nuotio, H.B. Ihle-Hansen, A. Blundell, G. Bakó, E. Burns, M.M. Davidovic, A.B. Jónsdóttir, H. Kolk, J.W.M. Krulder, M. Lambert, S. Maggi, N. Martinez-Velilla, G.F. Pinter, K. Singler, S. Thompson, N.J. Van Den Noortgate, M.A. Vassallo, G. Veninšek The ageing population ought to be celebrated as evidence for the efficacy of modern medicine, but the challenge that this demographic shift presents for 21st century healthcare systems, with increasing numbers of people living with multi-morbidity and frailty, cannot be ignored. There is therefore a need to ensure that all healthcare professionals grasp the basic principles of care of older people. In this paper, we make a case for the development of pan-European education and training standards for the field of geriatric medicine. Firstly, the challenges which face the implementation and delivery of geriatric medicine in a systematic way across Europe are described – these include, but are not limited to; variance in geriatric medicine practice across Europe, insecurity of the specialty in some countries and significant heterogeneity in geriatric medicine training programs across Europe. The opportunities for geriatric medicine are then presented and we consider how...
Source: European Geriatric Medicine - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research