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Study: Younger physicians provide higher-quality care

Quality Improvement Monitor, February 17, 2005

Older physicians tend to provide lower-quality care than recent medical school graduates, according to a Harvard Medical School study in the February 15 Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers found that older age negatively affected performance in areas including follwing the appropriate cancer-screening techniques to diagnosing depression. The results were based on a review of 59 previous studies dating from 1966, researchers said.

A 2000 American Board of Internal Medicine study included in the report found that heart attack patients were 10% more likely to die if their physician was 20 years out of medical school.

Researchers told The Boston Globe that part of the problem stems from medical philosophy changing during the past 30 years. Physicians rely more upon evidence-based medicine and research than a focus on personal experience to make medical decisions.

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