Assessment of European health professionals' educational needs in basic principles of Geriatric Medicine: a focus group qualitative analysis from the PROGRAMMING COST Action 21122

Purpose Europe’s ageing population necessitates high quality care for older people. However, in many countries geriatrics is still emerging as a specialty, with limited training options for healthcare professionals (HCPs). This international qualitative study aimed to understand the geriatric educational needs of HCPs, focusing on countries where Geriatric Medicine (GM) is emerging or underdeveloped. Methods Fourteen focus groups (n = 125 participants) were carried out representing 11 European countries and a range of HCPs and settings. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim and inductively coded in the original language. Codes were aggregated into a shared English codebook which was applied to all transcripts. Descriptive and subsequently analytical themes were then developed. Results Three themes were identified: 1) Current experiences of geriatric care: Participants described caring for older adults as medically and socially complex, requiring strong communication skills and interprofessional collaboration. 2) Structural and contextual challenges: Limited staffing, fragmented care pathways, and the emerging status of GM hindered effective care delivery, and 3) Uncertainties and unmet training needs: Key uncertainties included distinguishing ageing from disease, applying assessment tools, recognising red flags, and safe medication management. Participants emphasised the need for practical training during undergraduate studies, standardised interprofessional courses for non-specialists, and structural support (e.g., accessible programs and protected time for training). Conclusion Our focus group study outlines the limitations of current training and provides a framework for developing relevant and feasible training for HCPs working with older people. Structural support is needed for these initiatives to improve European geriatric care.