Upskilling in Healthy Longevity Medicine and Its Association With Physicians' Implementation Intent and Self-Reported Clinical Confidence: Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Structured educational programs for physicians in healthy longevity medicine (HLM) remain scarce. No published data yet document the impact of longevity-focused medical education on physicians. This study assesses the ramifications of the HLM curriculum, certified by the American Council for Continuing Medical Education, on physicians' confidence in their knowledge of HLM and clinical practice.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of accredited HLM education on physicians' confidence in knowledge and practice patterns, examining self-reported integration of HLM principles, professional attitudes, and career trajectories to determine the translational value of structured curricula in the emerging medical discipline.
METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between March and April 2024 among physicians who had completed accredited HLM courses between January 2023 and February 2024. Invitations were sent globally to 590 eligible physicians; trainees and students were excluded. A total of 113 (19.2%) respondents completed the survey and were included in the analysis. The survey assessed self-reported changes in clinical implementation, confidence in HLM-related knowledge, and professional attitudes following course completion. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were performed (P<.05).
RESULTS: Respondents represented 42 nationalities and were primarily trained in family medicine (n=31, 27.4%) and internal medicine (n=18, 15.9%). Overall, 96.5% (n=99) of the respondents reported increased confidence in HLM-related knowledge, with 47.8% (n=55) indicating substantial improvement. More than half of the respondents (n=63, 55.8%) reported integrating HLM principles into routine patient assessments, and 80.5% (n=91) of the respondents reported more frequent discussions related to health span-focused care. In addition, 23% (n=26) of the respondents initiated aging biomarker testing, 48.7% (n=55) increased the testing frequency, 52.2% (n=59) reported a shift in their perspective on aging, and 73.5% (n=83) anticipated full integration of HLM into mainstream medicine. Physicians practicing in specialized care demonstrated higher odds of reporting increased confidence in HLM knowledge compared with those in primary and preventive care (odds ratio 4.46, 95% CI 1.55-12.79; P=.005).
CONCLUSIONS: Accredited education in HLM is associated with enhanced confidence in HLM knowledge, increased clinical engagement with HLM practices, and a shift in aging-related care paradigms. These findings underscore the critical role of structured HLM curricula in bridging the translational gap between geroscience and everyday medical practice. Nevertheless, systemic health care barriers impede widespread implementation, warranting policy-level strategies to support health span-oriented education and care models.