From the Guidelines
Geriatric board certification requires a comprehensive understanding of the "Geriatric 5Ms" framework, which includes mind, mobility, medications, what matters most to the patient, and multicomplexity, as outlined in a recent study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings 1. The key educational units for geriatric board certification can be broken down into several core areas, including:
- Geriatric assessment, which involves a comprehensive evaluation of older adults covering physical, cognitive, psychological, and social domains, with the goal of identifying medical, psychosocial, cognitive, physical, and functional needs 1.
- Pharmacology for older adults, addressing age-related changes in drug metabolism, polypharmacy management, and common medication issues, with a focus on reviewing and reconciling medications, particularly high-risk medications 1.
- Cognitive and behavioral health, covering dementia, delirium, and depression diagnosis and management, including cognitive assessment tools and treatment approaches, with an emphasis on considering the mind: the cognitive and psychological domains of a patient’s health 1.
- Falls and mobility, addressing risk assessment, prevention strategies, and rehabilitation techniques, with a focus on evaluating mobility and fall risk 1.
- Palliative and end-of-life care, focusing on symptom management, advance care planning, and ethical considerations, with an emphasis on asking what matters most to the patient 1. Other essential units include management of complex chronic conditions, geriatric syndromes, care transitions, and systems-based practice, all of which require an understanding of how the intersection of multiple chronic conditions and social determinants of health influence the patient’s health care management, or multicomplexity 1. Successful certification requires demonstrating competency in applying this knowledge to complex geriatric cases, understanding the unique physiological changes of aging, and implementing evidence-based practices tailored to older adults' needs, as outlined in the study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings 1.
From the Research
Geriatric Board Certification Educational Units
There are no research papers to assist in answering this question regarding the key educational units and knowledge outcomes for geriatric board certification.
Relevant Studies on Geriatric Care
However, several studies have investigated various aspects of geriatric care, including:
- The role of urinary incontinence as a fall risk factor in older patients with dementia 2
- Pharmacological treatment options for managing urinary incontinence in patients with dementia 3
- The relationship between dementia and lower urinary dysfunction, including the use of anticholinergic medications 4
- Practice-based interventions to improve primary care for falls, urinary incontinence, and dementia 5
- The association between antidepressant use and fall risk in older adults 6
Key Findings
Some key findings from these studies include:
- Urinary incontinence is a significant risk factor for falls in elderly patients with dementia 2
- Pharmacological treatment options for urinary incontinence in patients with dementia are limited, and high-quality data to guide treatment choices are lacking 3
- Anticholinergic medications may have undesirable effects on the central nervous system in elderly patients with dementia 4
- Practice-based interventions can improve primary care for falls and urinary incontinence in older adults 5
- Antidepressant use is associated with an increased risk of falls in older adults, and careful consideration should be given to the potential benefits and risks of antidepressant therapy in this population 6