Post Graduate Diploma in Geriatric Medicine is a one-year Continuing Medical Education programme of 36 credits (Theory 14 credits, Practical 22 credits) for MBBS doctors after completion of internship. The programme is targeted at in-service doctors and aims to re-orient the medical graduate to ensure that he/she can deliver primary health care at an affordable cost to the geriatric population of the country.
The broad objectives of the Programme:
After completing the programme a learner should be able to
1. Discuss the demography and epidemiology of older population.
2. Perform a comprehensive assessment of an older person, including mood and cognition, gait, nutrition and fitness for surgery in an in-patient, home or community setting, including day hospitals.
3. Diagnose and manage acute illness in old age in an in-patient setting, home and community setting where appropriate and be able to identify and refer the cases for specialist intervention.
4. Diagnose and manage those with chronic disease and disability in an in-patient, home, hospital and community setting and be able to identify and refer the cases to specialist where need be.
5. Provide rehabilitation with the multidisciplinary team to an older patient in an inpatient, home, hospital and community setting and be able to identify and refer the cases for specialist intervention where need be.
6. Discuss and participate in implementation of different National Health care programs for the older person.
7. Plan the transfer of care of frail older patients from hospital to home settings.
8. Apply the knowledge and skills of geriatrics in an intermediate care, home and/or community setting.
9. Assess and manage older patients presenting with the common geriatric problems: (a) falls with or without fracture, (b) delirium, (c) incontinence, (d) poor mobility
10. Demonstrate competence in palliative care, orthogeriatrics, old age psychiatry and stroke care.
Admission Procedure
The programme has been on offer since January 2004. The programme has been revised and the revised programme is on offer for the January 2022 session. Programme is offered only in the January session. Admission is through the online application form available at the Samarth portal on IGNOU website www.ignou.ac.in. Advertisement and application forms are available on the website in the month of November/December
Implementation of the Programme
The programme is implemented through a network of centres all over the country. Each students is allotted a Learner Support Centre (LSC) under the jurisdiction of a Regional Centre of IGNOU. In addition to availing the student support in an LSC, the students are also required to undertake some skills in a Skill development Centre (SDC) as listed in the log book under the supervision of identified counsellors.
Learner Support Centre (LSC)
A Learner Support Centre is located in a Medical college/ Tertiary Medical set up having geriatric outpatient service/and a geriatric ward, physiotherapy facility and department of community medicine or outreach programme and which meet the other requirements as detailed in the MOU of IGNOU with the centres.
All student support is provided in the LSC like counselling, assignment submission and evaluation, conduction of Practical Term end Examination etc. The programme in charge (PIC) of the respective LSC sends information to all the students regarding online counselling sessions and face to face contact sessions. Assignments are submitted at the LSC by the students of the respective LSC and evaluated by the Academic Counsellors. PIC uploads the marks which are then sent to the headquarters by the Regional Centre. Practical Examination are also conducted by LSC. There are both internal and external examiners for each of the practical courses. The LSC also maintains all records and accounts of the programme.
Skill Development centre
Training is also conducted at a district level hospital, supervised by a specialist in the relevant subject. This enables the student to get an opportunity to practice the skills taught in the Learner Support Centre to gain proficiency, at a place much nearer to their own place of work.
Programme Package
The learners get a multiple media package for the programme (Figure 1). The package contains self-instructional study material in the form of booklets called blocks (both soft and hard copies area available), practical manuals and log books for recording practical activities. They get an opportunity to practice hands on training in tertiary level of hospitals and medical colleges under the supervision of experienced trainers called academic counsellors. They are assessed for the comprehension, recall and applicability of their knowledge via continuous assessments and a term end evaluation, both for the theory as well as the practical courses. A set of audio videos prepared specifically for the programme help to reinforce the difficult concepts of the programme. Students also get an opportunity to have interactions and reinforcements of the theory and practical course content through online classes using web conferencing platforms. The students are provided a university certificate after successful completion of all components of the programme.
Study Material
Students are supplied the printed copies of the study material. The students have the option to opt for the soft copy of the material and may be offered a 10 percent discount in the admission fee for the same. Student can also download the material from egyankosh.
http://egyankosh.ac.in/ -
Induction Meeting for Students
The induction meeting is held in the beginning of the session at PSC. Students receive information regarding this from Regional Centre/PIC/Programme Coordinator.
Students are given an orientation about the IGNOU, details of programme and activities related to contact sessions, assignments and TEE etc.
Attendance
For successful completion of programme, a student is required to attend the online classes and to have 100% attendance in the face to face contact sessions, for becoming eligible to appear in the practical examinations.
Assignments
There is one assignment for each of the theory courses. The assignments are made available in the Web Portal and can also be downloaded from IGNOU website. They need to be submitted in a time bound manner to the respective programme in charges. The students should submit assignments before taking the term-end theory examination. The counsellors of the programme study centre will evaluate them and return to the students for feedback.
If student is not able to submit all the assignments within the one-year time frame of admission, then the student is required to attempt fresh assignments, prepared for the next session and submit the same.
Student are required to carry their log book during all the counselling sessions and submit the competed signed log book for marking them for internal assessment and as a pre requisite for the practical term end examination
Evaluation Methodology
Course wise distribution of marks
|
Course code
|
Course
|
Type of Course
|
Internal Assessment
Max marks
|
Term end marks
Max marks
|
Total
|
|
MME 104
|
Basic Geriatrics
|
Theory
|
30
Assignment
|
70
Term end exam at identified IGNOU Centre
|
100
|
|
MME 105
|
Clinical Geriatrics I
|
Theory
|
30
Assignment
|
70
Term end exam at identified IGNOU Centre
|
100
|
|
MME 106
|
Clinical Geriatrics II
|
Theory
|
30
Assignment
|
70
Term end exam at identified IGNOU Centre
|
100
|
|
MMEL 104
|
Basic Geriatrics Practical
|
Practical
|
50
Continuous assessment during contact sessions in LSC
|
50
Term end exam at LSC with one external and one internal examiner
|
100
|
|
MMEL 105
|
Clinical Geriatrics I Practical
|
Practical
|
50
Continuous assessment during contact sessions in LSC
|
50
Term end exam at LSC with one external and one internal examiner
|
100
|
|
MMEL 106
|
Orthopaedics Practical
|
Practical
|
50
Continuous assessment during contact sessions in LSC
|
50
Term end exam at LSC with one external and one internal examiner
|
100
|
Guidelines for Theory Term End Examination
Theory Examination (TEE) is conducted by the university as per date sheet prepared by Student Evaluation Division (SED), IGNOU. The Examination Centre is allotted by SED as per the availability and choice of the student. Hall ticket uploaded on IGNOU website can be download by the students. TEE will carry 70 per cent weightage of each theory course.
Guidelines for Practical Term End Examination
Practical Examination is carried out in the LSCs. The date is finalized by PIC at LSC. Students will be informed the dates well in advance. The student is required to pass the internal component before being eligible to appear in the term-end practical examination. The students have to submit logbook for respective subjects in the practical examination which are to be returned to them after the examination. Final Practical Examination carry 50 per cent weightage. There are separate exams for each of the practical courses. There will be both internal and external examiners for evaluating the students.
Norms for PSC / Programme In-Charge / Academic Counsellor / Examiner
Programme Study Centre
Programme study centre will be located in a Medical college/ Tertiary medical set up having geriatric outpatient service, physiotherapy facility and department of community medicine or outreach programme.
Programme In-Charge
Should to be nominated by Head of the Institution.
Academic Counsellor
There will be at least two counsellor form each department. Counsellors for the Basic Geriatrics course should be MD community Medicine or Preventive and Social Medicine or Community health Administration with 3 years of teaching experience. For the Clinical Geriatrics Courses counsellors should have MD/MS qualification in Medicine/
Geriatric Medicine, ophthalmology, ENT, Dentistry, Psychiatry, Radiology, Orthopaedics , and masters in physiotherapy with 3 years of teaching experience in the LSC and MD medicine or Geriatric Medicine in SDC. For the course of Orthopaedics Practical, the cousellor should be MS ortho and masters in Physiotherapy with 3 years of teaching experience from orthopedics/ rehabilitation and PSM. There will be atleast four counselors from medicine department. The eligibility for all the counsellors is MS/ MD with atleast 3 years of experience in the LSC and MS Orthopaedics in SDC.
Examiners
The paper setters, moderators and evaluators are senior faculty involved in the programme and approved by the School Board of School of Health Sciences and the Vice Chancellor IGNOU.
All the internal and external examiners are subject specialists with a minimum 5 years of experience.
List of Programme Study Centres Appendix - 1
Given in the Table 3 are the list of LSC where the contact sessions and practical term end examination is expected to take place. This list may be modified in due course of time
|
S.no
|
Regional Centre
|
Learner Support Centre
|
Code
|
|
1.
|
Delhi 2
|
Maulana Azad Institute of Medical Sciences
|
0774 P
|
|
2.
|
Nagpur
|
MGMC Wardha
|
1634 P
|
|
3.
|
Pune
|
B J Medical Pune
|
1676P
|
|
4.
|
Bangalore
|
M S Ramaiah
|
1337 P
|
|
5.
|
Kolkata
|
Kolkata Medical college
|
2843 P
|
|
6.
|
Bhubaneshwar
|
Cuttuck medical college
|
2147 P
|
Programme Coordinator
You may contact the programme coordinator for all other information
Prof. Ruchika Kuba
Programme Coordinator
Room 113 Raman Block
New Academic Complex
Indira Gandhi National Open University
Maidan Garhi
New Delhi 110068
Email rkuba@ignou.ac.in
