Interest in Geriatrics at a University Department of Medicine

To estimate available resources for teaching geriatrics to medical students, a survey of the members of a university Department of Medicine was undertaken. Information was elicited in six areas: 1) personal data, 2) characteristics of each physician's clinical practice, 3) potential interest in a Division of Geriatrics, 4) the comparative levels of aggressiveness indicated in the management of an old patient versus a young one, 5) the attitude of physicians toward the elderly, and 6) a rough measure of knowledge of the demographic characteristics of the elderly. The results suggest that a significant number of faculty members of a university medical school would indeed be interested in teaching and research in the field of geriatrics.