Use of Geriatrics at your fingertips, a pocket guide, to educate physiatrists in geriatric care

Objective: To determine whether a geriatric pocket guide, Geriatrics At Your Fingertips, may be a useful tool in educating physiatrists about the care of their older patients. Design: Geriatrics At Your Fingertips was distributed through the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) to physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residents and practicing physiatrists. Two questionnaires evaluated guide use. Setting: Two academic PM&R departments and physiatrists in the United States. Participants: Two PM&R residency programs, members of AAPM&R's Geriatric Rehabilitation Special Interest Group (GR-SIG), and AAPM&R's membership. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Identification of clinically useful information by residents and GR-SIG members and frequency of guide use among AAPM&R membership. Results: Forty-five PM&R residents and 17 GR-SIG members reported examples of useful information. Geriatrics At Your Fingertips was requested by 483 AAPM&R members. Forty-six percent returned questionnaires (N = 223). Seventy percent had used the guide at least once and 49% 4 or more times. Conclusions: Geriatrics At Your Fingertips is a useful tool with which to educate PM&R residents and physiatrists about geriatric care.