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Older Doctors Less Likely to Follow Current Standards of Care

By , About.com Guide

Updated February 18, 2005

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Twenty-four of the 62 studies examined the appropriateness of a doctor's use of diagnostic and screening tests as well as preventative health care. Fifteen of these 24 studies, or 63 percent, demonstrated that physicians in practice for more years were less likely to adhere to the current standards of practice. In the largest of those studies, physicians were surveyed to measure their adherence to cancer screening guidelines endorsed by the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute. Doctors who graduated more than 20 years ago were consistency less likely to adhere to recommended practices; those doctors had 38 to 48 percent lower odds of adhering than younger doctors.

The influence of a doctor's age or years in practice on performance was examined by 19 of the 62 studies. Of these, 14 studies, or 74 percent, found that older physicians were less likely to adhere to therapeutic standards. For example, one study examined the prescribing behavior of physicians caring for patients with stable angina. Older physicians were significantly less likely to prescribe aspirin, which is a widely accepted standard treatment.

The study was funded by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Harvard Medical School Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Policy Research, and a Frank Knox Scholarship from Harvard University.

Source: Newswise

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