Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem?
Authors: Kenneth M. Madden, Kenneth Rockwood
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2012)

Letters18 September 2012Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem?Kenneth M. Madden, MD, MSc and Kenneth Rockwood, MDKenneth M. Madden, MD, MScFrom University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada, and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2E1, Canada.Search for more papers by this author and Kenneth Rockwood, MDFrom University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada, and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2E1, Canada.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-157-6-201209180-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The In the Balance article by Golden and colleagues (1) has resulted in a great deal of discussion throughout geriatric medicine programs in Canada. Because geriatric medicine here is a consultative subspecialty as opposed to a primary care discipline, we believe that the situation in Canada is sufficiently different that there is no need to advocate for the “mercy-killing” of Canadian geriatrics. Canadian trainees avidly read Annals and need to be aware that even if this line of reasoning holds in the United States (about which we are dubious), it does not hold in Canada.In our ...References1. Golden AG, Silverman MA, Mintzer MJ. Is geriatric medicine terminally ill? Ann Intern Med. 2012;156:654-6. [PMID: 22547474] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Pareto V. Manual of Political Economy. New York: A.M. Kelley; 1971. Google Scholar3. Rockwood K, Mitnitski A. Frailty defined by deficit accumulation and geriatric medicine defined by frailty. Clin Geriatr Med. 2011;27:17-26. [PMID: 21093719] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Ellis G, Whitehead MA, Robinson D, O'Neill D, Langhorne P. Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults admitted to hospital: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2011;343:d6553. [PMID: 22034146] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Madden KA, Rockwood K. The health of geriatrics in Canada—more than meets the eye. Can Geriatr J. 2012. [Forthcoming] Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Kenneth M. Madden, MD, MSc; Kenneth Rockwood, MDAffiliations: From University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada, and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2E1, Canada.Disclosures: Dr. Rockwood: Employment: Division of Geriatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University; Other: member of the American Geriatrics Society, the British Geriatrics Society, and the Canadian Geriatrics Society; past-president of the Canadian Society of Geriatric Medicine; serves on the editorial board for several geriatric journals; author on Brocklehurst's Textbook of Geriatric Medicine. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoIs Geriatric Medicine Terminally Ill? Adam G. Golden , Michael A. Silverman , and Michael J. Mintzer Treating Our Societal Scotoma: The Case for Investing in Geriatrics, Our Nation's Future, and Our Patients Rosanne M. Leipzig , William J. Hall , and Linda P. Fried Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem? T.S. Dharmarajan and Abishek Kumar Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem? Hajime Ichiseki Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem? Giuseppe Bellelli and Marco Trabucchi Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem? Adam G. Golden , Michael A. Silverman , and Michael J. Mintzer Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem? John R. Burton and Samuel C. Durso Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem? David Hamerman Dialogue on Geriatrics: How Should We Fix the Problem? Leslie S. Libow Metrics Cited byBasic Geriatrics Knowledge Among Internal Medicine Trainees in a Teaching Hospital in Saudi Arabia 18 September 2012Volume 157, Issue 6Page: 456-457KeywordsConflicts of interestElderlyFirearm injuriesFrailtyGeriatricsHealth careMortalityPatientsReasoningSub-specialty care ePublished: 18 September 2012 Issue Published: 18 September 2012 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2012 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...