GERIATRICS TRAINING IN PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

A survey was conducted to determine the level of training in geriatric s in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residency training pr ograms. Questionnaires were sent to 76 accredited programs in 1989 wit h a 63% (48/76) response rate. Results show that 49% of patients cared for by PM&R residents in inpatient settings are 65 years of age or ol der, and 42% of patients cared for in ambulatory settings are in the s ame age group. Of PM&R programs, 30% have physician faculty who are ge riatric ''specialists.'' PM&R residents have a significant exposure to elderly patients in the consultation role. Less exposure to elderly p atients occurs in distinct geriatric rehabilitation and geriatric medi cine programs or units. Among 10 medical specialties, PM&R programs co mpare well in terms of teaching about the topics and the personnel tha t are important in geriatrics. This is due in part to an obvious overl ap between the content of rehabilitation medicine and that of geriatri cs. Furthermore, there is moderate' interest in PM&R in developing fel lowship training in geriatric rehabilitation. The need for more academ ic faculty who are geriatric ''specialists,'' as well as the need for increasing PM&R exposure to distinctly geriatric settings as a part of training, is apparent.