title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Aging, The University of Alabama School of Medicine, Tuscaloosa 35487-0326, USA.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Beall
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Baumhover
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Pieroni
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003479:Curriculum; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values