•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Background: Primary care doctors play a pivotal role in an ageing society. They must possess appropriate attitudes about offering effective care to older people. Therefore, this study sought to determine the attitudes of primary care doctors towards geriatric care and factors associated with positive attitudes among these doctors in Malaysia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted between May 2023 and January 2024, included 328 primary care doctors in Malaysia. It used convenience sampling and included doctors who had worked for at least six months in a primary care setting. The University of California Los Angeles Geriatric Attitude Scale questionnaire was administered online. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine factors associated with positive attitudes towards geriatric care.

Results: Primary care doctors’ attitudes towards geriatric care in Malaysia were generally positive. Being a family medicine specialist (Adj. B 0.25; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.37, p ≤ 0.001) and perceiving that their clinic had administrative support for geriatric care services (Adj. B 0.15; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.24, p = 0.001) were associated with a positive attitude regarding geriatric care.

Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need for more primary care doctors to pursue specialty training in family medicine and highlights the administrative support necessary to deliver geriatric care. Targeted strategies can be used to cultivate a supportive and understanding environment for primary care doctors, which, in turn, will positively impact their attitudes toward the delivery of geriatric care.

Keywords: Primary Health Care, Geriatric care, Malaysia

References

[1] World Health Organization [WHO]. Ageing. Geneva: WHO; 2019 [updated: 2019; cited 2024 Feb 5]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/ageing#tab¼tab_1.

[2] Ministry of Economy, Department of Statistic Malaysia. Population Projection (Revised) 2010-2040. [updated 2022; cited 2024 Oct 14]. Available from: https://www.dosm.gov. my/v1/index.php?r¼column/ctheme&menu_ id¼L0pheU43NWJwRWVSZklWdzQ4TlhUUT09&bul_ id¼Y3kwU2tSNVFDOWp1YmtZYnhUeVBEdz09#.

[3] Ministry of Health, Family Development Division. Actional plan for elderly services. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Ministry of Health; 2008 [cited 2024 Oct 14]. Available from: https:// www.kpwkm.gov.my/kpwkm/uploads/files/Penerbitan/ Plan/Pelan%20Tindakan%20Perkhidmatan%20Kesihatan% 20Warga%20Emas.pdf.

[4] Prime Minister’s Department, Economic Planning Unit. Eleventh Malaysia plan 2016-2020; Anchoring Growth on people. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Economic Planning Unit; 2015 [cited 2024 Oct 14]. Available from: https://ekonomi.gov.my/ sites/default/files/2021-05/Chapter%201.pdf.

[5] Rudnicka E, Napierała P, Podfigurna A, Męczekalski B, Smolarczyk R, Grymowicz M. The World Health Organization (WHO) approach to healthy ageing. Maturitas 2020 Sep; 139:6e11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.05.018.

[6] Tan MP, KamaruzzamanSB,Poi PJH. Ananalysis of geriatric medicine in malaysia-riding the wave of political change. Geriatrics (Basel) 2018 Nov 15;3(4):80. https://doi.org/10. 3390/geriatrics3040080.

[7] Ministry of Health, Planning Division. Human resources for health country profile Malaysia 2015-2018. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Ministry of Health; 2020 [cited 2024 Oct 14]. Available from: https://www.moh.gov.my/moh/resources/ Penerbitan/HRH/Human_Resources_For_Health_Country_ Profile_2015-2018.pdf.

[8] Freedman A, Nicolle J. Social isolation and loneliness: the new geriatric giants: Approach for primary care. Can Fam Physician 2020 Mar;66(3):176e82.

[9] Huh Y, Son KY, Lee JE, Kim KI, Cho B, Won CW. Healthrelated unmet needs of community-dwelling older adults: a nationwide representative descriptive study in Korea. Ann Geriatr Med Res 2023 Mar;27(1):66e72. https://doi.org/10. 4235/agmr.23.0028.

[10] Goeldlin AO, Siegenthaler A, Moser A, Stoeckli YD, Stuck AE, Schoenenberger AW. Effects of geriatric clinical skills training on the attitudes of medical students. BMC Med Educ 2014 Oct 23;14:233. https://doi.org/10.1186/14726920-14-233.

[11] Tufan F, Yuruyen M, Kizilarslanoglu MC, Akpinar T, Emiksiye S, Yesil Y, et al. Geriatrics education is associated with positive attitudes toward older people in internal medicine residents: a multicenter study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2015 Mar-Apr;60(2):307e10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. archger.2014.12.004.

[12] Alamri BH, Xiao LD. Health professionals' knowledge and attitudes toward older people in primary care in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Med J 2017 Mar;38(3):229e36. https://doi.org/ 10.15537/smj.2017.3.19293.

[13] Jack TH, Md Noh AY, Yaacob NM. Attitude of emergency department doctors towards older adults in Malaysia. Penang, Malaysia: Universiti Sains Malaysia. 2017.

[14] Elbi H, € Ozcan F, Cengiz € Ozyurt B, Yayla ME. Attitudes of family physicians towards the elderly. Turk Geriatri Dergisi 2020;23(2):270e7. https://doi.org/10.31086/tjgeri.2020.162.

[15] Lee M, ReubenDB,Ferrell BA. Multidimensional attitudes of medical residents and geriatrics fellows toward older people. J Am Geriatr Soc 2005 Mar;53(3):489e94. https://doi.org/10. 1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53170.x.

[16] Yau CY, Ahmad MZ, Sjahid AS, Shukri MFM. Knowledge and attitudes about geriatrics among emergency department doctors in hospital universiti sains Malaysia. Mathews J Emerg Med 2023;8(1):1e10. https://doi.org/10.30654/MJEM. 10050.

[17] Hanafi HM, Ibrahim SB. The impact of employee attitude on service performance. Int J Humanit Soc Stud 2018;6(12). https://doi.org/10.24940/theijhss/2018/v6/i12/hs1812-013.

[18] Ministry of Health, Planning Division. Human Resources for health country profile 2019-2021. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Ministry of Health; 2023 [cited 2024 May 16]. Available from: https://www.moh.gov.my/moh/resources/Penerbitan/HRH/ HRH_COUNTRY_PROFILES_2019-2021_FINAL.pdf.

[19] Reuben DB, Lee M, Davis JW, Eslami MS, Osterweil DG, Melchiore S, et al. Development and validation of a geriatrics attitudes scale for primary care residents. J Am Geriatr Soc 1998;46(11):1425e30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998. tb06012.x.

[20] Hollar D, Roberts E, Busby-Whitehead J. Cocoa: A new validated instrument to assess medical students’ attitudes towards older adults. Educ Gerontol 2014;37(3):193e209. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2010.532063.

[21] Chua MPW, Soiza RL. Attitudes of first year medical students in Singapore towards older people and willingness to consider a career in geriatric medicine. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2009;38(5):465. https://doi.org/10.47102/annalsacadmedsg.v38n5p465.

[22] Jeyasingam N, McLeanL, Mitchell L, WandAPF.Attitudes to ageing amongst health care professionals: a qualitative systematic review. Eur Geriatr Med 2023;14(5):889e908. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s41999-023-00841-7.

[23] Universiti of Malaya. Medical Research & Development Unit [MERDU]. Primary Care medicine postgraduate training in Malaysia guide for applicants. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: MERDU; 2020 [cited 2024 June 1]. Available from: https:// medicine.um.edu.my/pdf/postgraduate/NPMC/NPMC_ PrimaryCareMedicinePGTraining.pdf.

[24] Alcantara G, Chao NJ. Administrative Support. In: Aljurf M, Majhail NS, Koh MB, Kharfan-Dabaja MA, Chao NJ, editors. The comprehensive cancer center. New York: Springer; 2021. p. 85e91.

[25] € Ozdemir G. The mediating role of perceived administrative support for the effect of job motivation on organizational identification. Int J Eval Res Educ 2020;9(3):539e47. https:// doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i3.20440.

[26] Antoniou AS, Cooper CL, Davidson MJ. Levels of job dissatisfaction and work-related stressors experienced by medical doctors in Greek hospitals. J Compassionate Health Care 2016;3(1):1e9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40639016-0021-z.

[27] Stone AA, Schneider S, Smyth JM, Junghaenel DU, Couper MP, Wen C, et al. A population-based investigation of participation rate and self-selection bias in momentary data capture and survey studies. Curr Psychol 2024;43(3):2074e90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-02304426-2.

[28] Golzar J, Tajik O, Noor S. Convenience Sampling. Int. J Education & Language Studies 2022;1(2):72e7. https://doi. org/10.22034/ijels.2022.162981.

[29] Samra R, Cox T, Gordon AL, Conroy SP, Lucassen MFG, Griffiths A. Factors related to medical students’ and doctors’ attitudes towards older patients: A systematic review. Age Ageing 2017 Nov 1;46(6):911e9. https://doi.org/10.1093/ ageing/afx058.

[30] Corace K, Garber G. When knowledge is not enough: Changing behavior to change vaccination results. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2014;10(9):2623e4. https://doi.org/10. 4161/21645515.2014.970076.

[31] Samra R, Griffiths A, Cox T, Conroy S, Knight A. Changes in medical student and doctor attitudes toward older adults after an intervention: A systematic review. J Am Geriatr Soc 2013;61(7):1188e96. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs. 12312.

[32] Nabavi RT, Bijandi MS. A literature review on Bandura's social learning theory & social cognitive learning theory. Tehran, Iran: University of Sciences & Culture; 2012.

[33] Jones KM, Dixon ME, Dixon JB. General practice researchdoes gender affect the decision to participate? Aust Fam Physician 2012;41(6):419e23.

[34] Brodaty H, Gibson LH, Waine ML, Shell AM, Lilian R, PondCD.Researchin generalpractice: a survey of incentives and disincentives for research participation. Ment Health Fam Med 2013;10(3):163e73.

[35] Virnau L, Braesigk A, Deutsch T, Bauer A, Kroeber ES, Bleckwenn M, et al. General practitioners’ willingness to participate in research networks in Germany. Scand J Prim Health Care 2022;40(2):237e45. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 02813432.2022.2074052.

[36] Hysong SJ, McGuire AL. Increasing physician participation as subjects in scientific and quality improvement research. BMC Med Ethics 2022;23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910022-00817-5.

[37] McCann SK, Campbell MK, Entwistle VA. Reasons for participating in randomised controlled trials: conditional altruism and considerations for self. Trials 2010 Mar 22;11:31. https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-11-31.

Download

Share

COinS