The relation between physician and patient age in family practice.
A study of 100 selected Wisconsin family physicians demonstrated that younger physicians generally had more contact with younger patients, middle-aged physicians had an even distribution of patient age contacts, and older physicians had more contact with older patients. The increase in older patients became pronounced for 56 to 60-year-old physicians. Generally a ten-year increase in physician age was accompanied by a five-year increase in patient age. The rising average age of the American population, combined with the direct physician-patient age relationship demonstrated here suggest that geriatrics will become increasingly relevant not only in the continuum of medical education but also for the individual practicing physician.
D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014922:Wisconsin