The author of this article: Yi Su
Can you receive a doctor who is over 100 years old to see you?
Source: Reference 1
This is a neurologist from the United States and the holder of the Guinness World Record for "oldest medical practitioner" – at the time of his certification, he was still working in a hospital at over 98 years old and had been practicing for more than 74 years [2].
This July, he will celebrate his 102nd birthday.
He has been practicing medicine for over 74 years and is the oldest practicing physician
The doctor who broke the world record was named Howard Tucker.
Tucker was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, in July 1922. After graduating with a graduate degree and completing his residency, he has been working in neurology.
As a physician, Tucker has worked diligently throughout his career and has diagnosed and treated many rare cases. In addition to being a doctor, he has a wide range of hobbies, including music, sports, and motorsports, and earned a law degree at the age of 67 and passed the Ohio State Bar Exam.
Tucker, 99 years old
Source: Reference 1
On February 26, 2021, at the age of 98, Tucker was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the "oldest medical practitioner".
Source: Reference 2
Even though he was nearly 100 years old at the time, he still came to work every week, with an average of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sometimes there are too many patients in the hospital, and the end time may be delayed until 10 or 11 o'clock.
Not only that, but Tucker also teaches at the medical school on a weekly basis. However, he said he never thought about retirement. "Why would you retire when you love what you do and still have the ability to do it?"
Later, Dr. Tucker's personal story was widely reported by the media, attracting a lot of attention. While lamenting his long career, some people said, "It's great that he can continue to work. But personally, I definitely don't want a doctor of this age to make any life-or-death decisions for me or my family. 」
Screenshot of the comment
After all, when you walk into the consultation room and find that your doctor is over 100 years old, you may be more worried about the centenarian's physical condition than you are about yourself.
In November 2022, American cardiologist Sandeep Juahar published an article in the New York Times titled "How Would You Feel About a 100-Year-Old Doctor", publicly expressing his opinion on the matter. He believes that as a doctor, we should be honest about aging, rather than blindly sticking to our own opinions and continuing to practice medicine [3].
In response, Tucker himself wrote in the New York Times: "I don't think I'm old enough to work. 」[4]
Two articles in the New York Times
The back and forth between the two sides also set off a discussion in the medical community at that time about the retirement age of doctors.
The older you get, the more popular you are, or should you force retirement?
The healthcare industry is also facing an aging population.
In the United States, for example, a survey found that in 2010 only a quarter of practicing physicians in the United States were aged 60 or older, but by 2020 that number had risen to one-third and 103,000 more [5].
Age distribution of licensed physicians in the United States
Source: Reference 5
According to a study by JAMA Neurology, 20% of adults over the age of 65 may have cognitive impairment, and that number swells to 40% as they age over 85.
In certain occupations (e.g., pilots, air traffic controllers, etc.), the retirement age is strictly limited in order to avoid cognitive impairment affecting public safety. However, whether doctors should also follow the "mandatory retirement" has been debated.
Proponents of limiting the retirement age for physicians argue that as physicians age, they inevitably face physical and mental decline that affects medical decision-making and, in severe cases, puts patients at risk.
An analysis of a review from JAMA showed that doctors over the age of 75 who were taking awareness tests were on average more than 20% lower than doctors over 40 years old. [6]
Another observational study of hospitalized patients found that patients treated by older physicians had a higher mortality rate than those treated by younger physicians [7]. (Note: The study also noted that there was no association between physician age and patient mortality among physicians who handled a large number of patients.) ）
A linear spline model was used to adjust the association between physician age and patient mortality
Source: Reference 7
Older doctors in the healthcare system often mean higher administrative positions and more implicit "voice", which may also affect the future career development of young doctors in the same unit.
However, another serious problem is that if the "forced retirement" is implemented for medical staff, there will not only be legal problems such as age discrimination, but also a big blow to the medical system.
In the United States, for example, there are statistics that if doctors are forced to retire at the same age as pilots, the existing medical human resources will be reduced by 25%. [8]
However, in the discussion about Tucker, there are also many voices who adhere to the view that "the older the doctor, the more popular he is". They believe that for such a doctor who has been practicing for more than 70 years, his experience is an invaluable asset to the medical community. Aggregate statistics cannot be used to predict the condition of an individual.
Comment on Tucker's social media accounts
In most hospitals in the United States, when a licensed physician is over the age of 65, he or she must undergo an annual examination to assess the doctor's health.
For doctors, it may not be "age" but "ability" that can measure whether they are competent for the job.