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Guidelines, Practice Policies, and Parameters: The Case for Geriatrics
Author(s) -
Rudberg Mark A.,
Barr Gwendolyn,
Cassel Christine K.,
Hayward Robert S. A.,
Sussman Elliot J.,
Roizen Michael F.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1994.tb06867.x
Subject(s) - medicine , geriatrics , gerontology , directory , family medicine , population , age groups , demography , environmental health , psychiatry , sociology , computer science , operating system
Objective : As the population ages, the care of older persons becomes more important. At the same time, practice guidelines that provide recommendations for appropriate care are being published in greater numbers. The purpose of this work is to determine the proportion of guidelines that contain specific information about older persons. Design : Through a random sample of published guidelines listed in the AMA Directory of Practice Parameters, 1992 Edition , we determined the proportion of guidelines that contain specific age‐related information. We also determined if, over time, there was a difference in the proportion of practice guidelines containing information about older persons. Results : 45.9% (95% CI, range 33.4–58.4) of guidelines that could conceivably pertain to older persons contain no age information; 24.6% (95% CI, range 13.8–35.4) of guidelines contain information only about persons less than 65 years of age; 29.5% (95% CI, range 18.1–41.0) of guidelines contain specific information about older persons. Moreover, there were no secular trends in the proportion of guidelines pertaining to older persons. Conclusions : Only a minority of practice guidelines contain information about older persons. Possible causes and solutions to this shortfall are discussed.