A proactive approach to identifying physician impairments associated with aging

Pilots are forced to retire at the age of 65. In many states, senior citizen drivers must undergo a road test every year to maintain their license. Insurance companies often pay tractor trailer drivers to retire when their age and physical conditions pose too much of a risk. But once a physician finishes his or her residency, there is little in place to monitor how the physical and cognitive changes associated with aging affect that physician's performance. Sure, the peer review process can identify problems, but it offers a reactive approach to physician aging that only brings a possible impairment to the surface after a near miss or never event.

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