People sometimes seek out older doctors, believing in the value of experience. If they need to have a serious surgery carried out, for instance, they would rather have someone in their 60s who has been doing it for 30 years, rather than someone in their 30s who just got started. They think that the more experienced doctor will have a greater degree of success and be less likely to make a mistake – which may be true.
However, statistics point out that younger doctors have lower mortality rates. If you look at the results patients have for the next month after they get treatment, the rate at which they pass away tends to be higher for older doctors. Why is this?
Declining knowledge
One potential issue is that clinical knowledge – how informed the doctor is about the most cutting-edge medical tactics and techniques – is bound to decline. If you have a doctor who got their medical degree back in the 1980s, they are naturally not going to know as much about modern medicine as someone who got their degree in 2015. Technology has just progressed to an incredible degree, so older physicians may be less familiar with new tactics or have less ability to carry them out successfully.
That said, you do have to consider the types of procedures these doctors are carrying out. Maybe older and more experienced doctors are getting more difficult cases, like heart surgeries and brain surgeries. Their patients are older and in a frail condition to begin with. This means that the mortality rates are going to be higher, but not necessarily because the doctors have made any mistakes themselves. They are just dealing with patients who are more likely to pass away.
Have you lost a loved one due to medical malpractice? Carefully consider your legal options moving forward.
