Neuropsychological normative standards for late career physicians

Abstract

Objective: In the context of an aging, vital physician workforce, there is clear value in establishing a specialized neuropsychological normative dataset for the evaluation of late career physicians practicing clinical medicine. Methods: Physicians aged 60 and over in active clinical practice at 3 major medical centers in North Carolina were recruited to complete a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Results: The sample (n = 100) was aged 60-78. Reflecting medical school distributions for this age group, the sample was mostly male (76%) and was fairly racially homogenous (96% White). To amplify utility of the dataset, data were obtained for several measures across neurocognitive domains. Results are presented in percentile bands stratified by age and sex where needed, and regression formulas are presented for predictive precision for measures where both age and sex predicted performance. Important distinctions between our sample, the general population, and current comparative demographic norms were also confirmed. Conclusions: Here we present a preliminary normative dataset on a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery for late career physicians, the HEATS norms for highly educated aging treaters. These standards facilitate accurate, objective cognitive measurement as a part of clinical diagnostic and capacity evaluations. Co-norming the battery in a single, specialized sample further augments its utility in characterizing cognition. Future work to enhance the dataset to be maximally applicable across demographic groups is anticipated, as is research to explore the relationship between these standards and professional performance outcomes.

Keywords: Normative standards; aging; cognition; objective; physicians.