Aging Doctors May be Unfit to Practice Medicine
Dementia, stroke, and other ills of aging are common in elderly patients. Surprisingly, these age-related diseases are also common in elderly doctors as well. A recent article in the New York Times draws attention to the problem of older physicians who are still practicing in spite of deteriorating cognitive abilities.
Approximately one-third of the nation’s physicians are over 65, many of them facing increasing financial pressures that make retirement nearly impossible. Although it is possible for doctors to maintain competency well into their 70s, some are not even aware that they have a problem until their patients suffer the consequences. Patient mortality rates are higher in complicated operations when the surgeon is 60 or older.
In an effort to protect patients, experts are calling for regular cognitive and physical screenings once doctors reach 65. Currently, physicians must meet minimal requirements to continue to practice, but tougher recertification policies do not apply to older physicians whose “grandfather clauses” do not require them to renew their medical licenses.
Compounding the problem is the lack of safeguards available to patients. Without a systematic way to measure physician competency, most hospitals rely on state medical boards to discipline a physician, which only occurs in extraordinary cases. As a result, the subtle signs of cognitive impairments, such as an inability to recall words or learn new materials, often go unnoticed. Even when the signs of aging are detectable, doctors are often unwilling to confront their fellow physicians and instead offer to assist them in the operating room or review their cases.