Elderly Medical Care

Medical students are being inadequately prepared to deal with the special problems to deal with the special problems of the elderly, Dr. John W. Rowe, a Medical School professor and gerontologist at Beth Israel Hospital, charged in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Not only does medical education fail to instill an interest in the biological basis or physiological concomitants of aging, but there is evidence that the student's view of the elderly actually deteriorates during medical school," said Rowe.

Rowe suggested that the roots of neglect lie in "ageism," an inaccurate and prejudicial perception of old people. "Physicians cannot afford to neglect ten per cent of the population--a segment that is rapidly growing," said Rowe. "Precise data on their special needs are desparately needed."

"Courses in gerontology and geriatrics are found in less than half of American medical schools, and postgraduate research and training in aging are even less common," Rowe said.

"The most needed clinical research is probably in the area of pharmacology," he added. "The average elderly American is given 13 prescriptions a year, and the amount of hospitalizations precipitated by adverse drug reactions is 50 per cent higher in elderly patients than in those under 60 years old."

Rowe pointed out yesterday that the physiological condition of elderly patients differs from that of younger "normal" patients and that medical testing, diagnosis, and prescribed treatment of the elderly should be made on an individual basis.

"Doctors must learn that the life process shows a gradual linear decline from age 30 onwards and that a 30-year-old having a heart attack must be treated differently than a very old person having a heart attack," said Rowe.

This year, Rowe will teach the first course in physiological geriatrics at the Medical School.