Normal versus Pathological Aging: Knowledge of Family Practice Residents

Abstract

Family physicians may lack discriminatory ability to differentiate normal aging from disease states. To assess such ability, 53 aging-related indicators or symptoms were presented to 65 physicians in three family practice residency programs. Respondents classified each symptom as normal aging or disease. On average, residents classified 73.4% of symptoms correctly. They were more likely to classify disease states correctly (80.0%) than to classify signs of normal aging correctly (66.8%). Misattribution of normal aging signs as disease may prompt physicians to overmedicate and overtreat patients, resulting in adverse clinical outcomes.

Nurse–patient encounters in the hospital ward, from the perspectives of older persons: an analysis using the Authentic Consciousness Framework

“…Insufficient knowledge and information (McCormack, 2001) and even risk management strategies adopted by service (Ballinger & Payne, 2002) constitutes a risk to the dignity of older people. It is therefore not surprising that evidence is demonstrating that older people are not informing services in claims of undertreatment (Malloy & Hadjistavropoulos, 2004) restrictive practices (McCormack, 2001) and overtreatment (Beall et al. , 1996; Alzheimer’s Society, 2002).…”

The Role of Subjective Aging Within the Changing Ecologies of Aging: Perspectives for Research and Practice

“…Moreover, this lack of interest may even be perpetuated during the medical training years (Hauer et al, 2008). Furthermore, medical training among family practitioners may be lacking in gerontological content because physician residents exhibit diffi culties in distinguishing signs of normal aging from signs of disease (Beall, Baumhover, Maxwell, & Pieroni, 1996). Discrimination is also apparent regarding the reluctance of many providers to accept older adults into their medical practice (Adams et al, 2002) and by a general perception among nurses that caring for older adults in the hospital is a burden (Liu et al, 2013).…”

“…Furthermore, nationally held attitudes and norms are important for shaping how older workers are perceived. In a study including data from 28 countries, older adults were perceived as more competent in countries that have a greater number of opportunities for paid and volunteer work, (e.g., Netherlands, Norway) even after taking into account variables such as gender, education, and country-specifi c life expectancy (Bowen & Skirbekk, 2013). Greater fl exibility instead of a rigid age patterning of the life course would thus not only be benefi cial for maximizing individual choice and opportunities but could also have tremendous implications for subjective aging.…”

Untitled

“…In the North American context, unambiguously differentiating normal and pathological aging has been deemed highly important in helping doctors assess conditions and avoid erroneously attributing normal age-related change to underlying pathologies (Beall, Baumhover, Maxwell & Pieroni 1996). But when considering dementia as a syndrome of brain dysfunction with various causes, it becomes difficult to define the threshold between cognitive impairment and cognitive changes associated with usual aging processes.…”