THE ATTITUDES OF MEDICAL STUDENTS TOWARD THE ELDERLY

Introduction: Health workers must be prepared for the changes and developments due to the ever-increasing proportion of elderly individuals within the general population. This study aimed to identify the general attitudes of students of the Faculty of Medicine of Celal Bayar University (CBU) toward senility and evaluate differences in the attitudes of students at different stages of medical education. Materials and Method: This study was conducted between October and December 2014 and included a total of 406 students attending the Faculty of Medicine of the CBU. A questionnaire form composed of three sections was used to collect data. Results: The age range of study participants was 18-27 years (average age, 21.04 years), 60.8% were females, and 91.4% had a nuclear family structure. When assessing overall UCLA scores according to the stage of medical education, the average scores of first-year students were found to be higher than other year groups. The results of the UCLA questionnaire demonstrated significantly higher overall scores concerning attitudes toward older persons in female students compared with male students. No significant differences in KOGAN questionnaire scores concerning attitudes toward older people were observed between male and female students. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate that attitudes toward the elderly change negatively as students progress through medical education. In addition, female students had more positive attitudes toward elderly patients than male students. Considering the expectations from the healthcare providers of the elderly population, who are more fragile compared to normal individuals, it should be envisaged that the responsibilities of physicians have increased.