The Importance of Geriatric Medicine by Steve Lee Since the beginning of this century, the United States has observed a near doubling of the life expectancy of an individual due in part to the major advances in the practice of medicine, and more specifically, better health care and education. An unavoidable consequence of this advancement has been the growth of the elderly population, and the urgent need for more physicians capable of caring for these people.
Geriatric medicine is a discipline that focuses on the medical care of the elderly.
Currently, the majority of geriatricians are generalists such as family physicians or internists. Additional training can be obtained through preceptorships in divisions of geriatric medicine or through fellowship training. Dr. John R. Burton emphasizes the importance of fellowship training. In 1989, only 101 physicians entered fellowship training in geriatric medicine compared to the 772 who entered cardiology training. This implies that there will be a shortage of teachers to train other physicians in geriatric medicine.