Sixty-five is the time!

Abstract

In state service in South Africa, retirement is mandatory for doctors at 65 years while in private practice retirement age is not regulated. Is this an issue? Professor Michael DeBakey famously continued to operate until he was 90. Surely a lifetime of experience offsets the inevitable decline in motor and cognitive function that comes with age? There is however a growing body of evidence that physician experience and age is linked to worse patient outcomes. In one meta-analysis, 74% of studies showed a negative association between physician age and recognized standards of therapeutic care.