TY - JOUR
T1 - Medical student reflections on geriatrics
T2 - Moral distress, empathy, ethics and end of life
AU - Camp, Mary E.
AU - Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung
AU - Johnson, Anne E.
AU - Sadler, John Z.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2018/4/3
Y1 - 2018/4/3
N2 - Medical students’ early clinical encounters may influence their perceptions of geriatrics. This study examines reflective essays written by 3rd-year medical students on required clinical rotations. Using content analysis, the authors analyzed the essays’ thematic content. The authors then used chi-squared analysis to compare themes with geriatric patients (age 60+) to themes with other age groups. One hundred twenty out of 802 essays described a geriatric patient. The most common geriatric themes were (1) death and dying, (2) decision making, (3) meaningful physician–patient interactions, (4) quality of care, and (5) professional development. Geriatric essays were more likely to discuss death/dying and risk–benefit themes and less likely to discuss abuse. Geriatric essays were more likely to describe students’ moral distress. Geriatric essays with moral distress were more likely to include empathy themes compared to geriatric essays without moral distress. Geriatric patients may pose unique ethical challenges for early clinical students.
AB - Medical students’ early clinical encounters may influence their perceptions of geriatrics. This study examines reflective essays written by 3rd-year medical students on required clinical rotations. Using content analysis, the authors analyzed the essays’ thematic content. The authors then used chi-squared analysis to compare themes with geriatric patients (age 60+) to themes with other age groups. One hundred twenty out of 802 essays described a geriatric patient. The most common geriatric themes were (1) death and dying, (2) decision making, (3) meaningful physician–patient interactions, (4) quality of care, and (5) professional development. Geriatric essays were more likely to discuss death/dying and risk–benefit themes and less likely to discuss abuse. Geriatric essays were more likely to describe students’ moral distress. Geriatric essays with moral distress were more likely to include empathy themes compared to geriatric essays without moral distress. Geriatric patients may pose unique ethical challenges for early clinical students.
KW - Medical education
KW - death and dying
KW - reflective writing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85033387432&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85033387432&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02701960.2017.1391804
DO - 10.1080/02701960.2017.1391804
M3 - Article
C2 - 29028421
AN - SCOPUS:85033387432
SN - 0270-1960
VL - 39
SP - 235
EP - 248
JO - Gerontology and Geriatrics Education
JF - Gerontology and Geriatrics Education
IS - 2
ER -