Approaching the issue of the aging physician population

Abstract

In November 2011, the Coalition for Physician Enhancement (CPE) and the University of California, San Diego, Physician Assessment and Clinical Education (PACE) Program held a conference on the issue of physician aging and its potential impact on clinical performance and quality of care. Speakers and attendees from the United States and Canada reviewed a variety of topics and trends related to aging. Data reviewed during the conference reveal that average physician age is increasing, and while a variety of positive aspects of aging can provide a professional benefit, some studies associate a decrease in physician performance with increasing age. Among the factors that can affect physician performance include solo practice, lack of American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Board Certification, practicing outside the scope of training, high clinical volume and health issues. Conference attendees examined Canadian experiences with age-based competency screening and participated in a survey of opinion regarding age-based screening. The majority favored age-based screening beginning at the age of 70, using a system that would include assessments of physical and mental health and a cognitive screen. Competency screening could include peer review and practice evaluation methods. The authors propose further study of age-based screening and encourage physicians to think carefully about the timing of appropriate modifications to and retirement from practice.