How General Medicine and Geriatrics Differ in Patient Care?

When it comes to taking care of patients, different types of medical care focus on specific groups of people. General medicine is about looking after everyone, from kids to adults, covering a wide range of health issues. On the other hand, geriatrics is all about caring for older adults.

The key difference lies in the patients they focus on. General medicine handles health problems for people of all ages, while geriatrics concentrates specifically on the health concerns and needs of older adults. Understanding these differences helps us see how medical care changes based on age and how doctors specialise in different areas to give the best care possible.

Patient care encompasses various specialised areas, two significant ones being general medicine and geriatrics. They both aim to take care of people’s health, but they each have their unique way of doing it.

General medicine deals with all sorts of health issues for people of all ages, while geriatrics focuses specifically on the health needs of older adults. In this article, we’re going to uncover how these two fields are different when it comes to looking after patients—how they diagnose problems, how they treat them, and how they help patients get better. It’s like peeking into two different worlds within healthcare and understanding how they each have their methods of caring for people.

Spotlights: 

• Understanding General Medicine
• Exploring Geriatrics

Understanding General Medicine

Let’s first focus on general medicine before exploring the contrasts. General medicine, also known as internal medicine, is a broad field that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. General physicians, or internists, are trained to manage various medical conditions across different organ systems. They often serve as the first point of contact for patients seeking primary care.

Exploring Geriatrics

Focuses specifically on adults aged 65 and above, offering expertise in age-related conditions like dementia, frailty, and multimorbidity. As individuals age, their bodies undergo physiological changes that require specialised medical attention. Geriatricians are physicians who specialise in providing comprehensive care for older adults, addressing age-related conditions, and promoting healthy ageing.

Differences in Diagnosis and Outcome

One of the primary differences between general medicine and geriatrics lies in the probability structures of diagnosis and outcome. In general medicine, the diagnostic process is often guided by statistical probabilities based on age, gender, and other demographic factors. Geriatric medicine, on the other hand, requires a more nuanced approach due to the unique characteristics and needs of older patients.

Probability Structures of Diagnosis

General Medicine:

Have you ever wondered why your doctor asks your age at every appointment? It’s because age plays a crucial role in diagnosing diseases. Doctors have to consider a person’s age when figuring out what’s wrong with them. This is because some diseases are more common in certain age groups. For example, a doctor wouldn’t be as worried about a young person having a heart attack as they would be about an older person having one. As people get older, different diseases become more likely, so doctors have to be on the lookout for those.

Just as a detective unravels mysteries, a doctor carefully examines symptoms and conducts tests to uncover the root cause of a patient’s health issue. They gather clues from your symptoms, medical history, and lifestyle. They then compare these clues to the probabilities of different diseases based on your age. This means that for a younger person, the doctor might consider a wider range of possibilities, while for an older person, they might focus on diseases more common in their age group.

Geriatrics:

As we age, the “probability map” of diseases shifts. Age-related conditions like dementia, frailty, and multimorbidity become more prevalent. This means that in geriatrics, doctors have to be extra aware of these conditions and consider them alongside other possibilities. This allows them to diagnose and treat age-related issues effectively.

Why is this important?

Understanding how age influences diagnosis helps us in several ways:

• Accurate diagnosis: Considering age helps doctors identify the most likely cause of your symptoms, leading to accurate diagnosis and timely treatment.
• Preventative care: Knowing which diseases are common in your age group allows for effective preventative measures, reducing the risk of developing them.
• Better healthcare decisions: By understanding how age affects diagnosis and treatment, you can make informed decisions about your healthcare.

Remember, age is just one piece of the puzzle. Doctors consider a variety of factors to make a diagnosis. However, understanding how age influences the “probability map” of diseases can help you and your doctor work together for better health outcomes.

Presentation of Illness

When it comes to illness, older adults often present a unique challenge. Their symptoms can be subtle, misleading, or even absent altogether, making diagnosis a more complex and nuanced task. Imagine an illness like a cryptic puzzle, carefully hidden behind a veil of ambiguity. This is the reality that doctors face when treating older patients.

While a younger person with a fever might immediately raise concerns about an infection, the same symptom in an older adult could indicate a more serious underlying condition, like pneumonia or urinary tract infection. Seemingly minor changes in behaviour or appetite, which might not be considered significant in younger individuals, could be crucial clues to a hidden illness in older patients.

This is where the expertise of a geriatrician comes into play. They are specially trained to recognize the atypical presentations of illness in older adults, piecing together various seemingly unrelated symptoms like missing pieces in a puzzle. They understand the subtle shifts in behaviour, the changes in physical function, and the potential interactions between multiple medications, all of which can contribute to the masked presentation of illness.

Why Doctors Take Extra Care When Treating Older Adults

In regular medicine, doctors often follow specific guidelines and plans when treating illness. For older adults, however, things are different. Their doctors have to be more careful and think about many things before deciding on a treatment. This is because older adults often have other health problems, challenges with everyday tasks, and different needs than younger people. So, their doctors need to carefully consider all of these things and make sure the treatment they choose is right for them.

For example, an older adult with a heart condition might also have trouble walking and may live alone. If their doctor gives them a medication that makes them dizzy, it could be dangerous because they might fall and hurt themselves.

That’s why home visit doctors who treat older adults need to be extra careful and think about everything that could affect their health. They need to make sure the treatment they choose is safe and will help them live their best lives.

Differences in Investigation and Diagnostic Accuracy

Another area where general medicine and geriatrics differ is in the extent of investigation and diagnostic accuracy required. Geriatric patients often require more thorough investigations to achieve comparable levels of diagnostic accuracy as their younger counterparts.

Increased Investigation in Geriatric Patients

As we age, our bodies change in many ways. This can make it harder for doctors to figure out what’s wrong when we get sick. Older adults often show different symptoms than younger people, and they may have more than one health problem at a time. This is why doctors who treat older adults often need to do more tests to find the cause of their illness.

This can help them diagnose the problem more accurately and get the patient the treatment they need. Doing more tests can also help prevent older adults from getting sicker. By catching problems early, doctors can often treat them before they become serious. This can help older adults stay healthy and independent for longer.

Age-Associated Impairment of Immunity

As we get older, our bodies’ ability to fight off germs changes. The “soldiers” in our immune system, called T-cells, don’t work as well as they used to, and we don’t produce as many of the things our body needs to stay healthy and fight sickness. This makes it easier for older adults to get infections and harder for their bodies to recover from them.

This is why doctors often need to do more tests on older adults when they get sick. They need to be extra careful to make sure they find the right cause of the problem and the best way to treat it.

Impact on Mental Functioning

As we age, our bodies become less flexible and adaptable. This can affect our thinking and memory, especially when we get sick. Older adults are more likely to become confused and delirious when they have an infection or are taking certain medications. This can make it difficult for them to think straight and remember things.

That’s why doctors need to be extra careful when treating older adults who are sick. They need to be aware of the potential impact of the illness on the patient’s mental functioning and take steps to manage it. This can include things like providing support and reassurance, simplifying instructions and avoiding medications that can worsen confusion.

By taking these steps, doctors can help older adults recover from their illness and maintain their cognitive function.

Getting Back on Track: Why Older Adults Need Different Recovery Plans

Rehabilitation is an important part of getting better after an illness or injury. It helps people regain their strength, mobility, and independence. However, the kind of rehabilitation that works best for older adults is different from the kind that works best for younger people.

This is because older adults often have different needs and challenges. They may be weaker, less flexible, and have more health problems. They may also have trouble getting around and doing everyday tasks.

That’s why doctors and therapists who work with older adults need to create special rehabilitation plans that take these things into account. These plans may include things like:

• Exercises that are easier to do
• More time for recovery
• Help with daily activities
• Support from family and friends

By creating a personalised rehabilitation plan, doctors and therapists can help older adults get back on track after an illness or injury and live as independently as possible.

Loss of Adaptability and Functional Reserves

As we get older, it takes us longer to bounce back from setbacks. We may lose strength and flexibility, and we may not be able to do the things we used to do as easily. This is why older adults often need different help than younger people when they are recovering from an illness or injury.

Doctors and therapists who work with older adults need to create special plans to help them get better. These plans may include exercises that are easier to do, more time to recover, and help with daily activities. They may also involve support from family and friends.

By creating a personalised plan, doctors and therapists can help older adults get back on their feet and live as independently as possible.

Why Geriatrics Takes Rehabilitation Seriously

When older adults get sick or injured, they often need more help than younger people to get back on their feet. This is because older adults may have other health problems, be less strong and flexible, and have trouble getting around.

That’s why doctors who treat older adults work with a team of other professionals, like therapists and nurses, to create a special plan to help them recover. This plan may include:

• Exercises to regain strength and flexibility
• Helping up with daily activities, like bathing and dressing
• Support and encouragement from family and friends

By working together, this team can help older adults get back to doing the things they love and living as independently as possible.

Differences in Infectious Diseases

When it comes to infectious diseases, older adults face a different playing field than younger people. As we age, our bodies’ ability to fight off germs changes, making us more susceptible to infections. Also, the way older adults show symptoms can be different and harder to spot, which can make diagnosis more difficult.

This is why doctors who specialise in older adults, called geriatricians, are so important. They understand how the immune system changes with age and how this can affect the way infections present themselves. They also know the special tests that may be needed to diagnose an infection in an older adult.

Cryptic Presentation of Illness

Sometimes, when older adults get sick, it’s not as obvious as a fever or cough. The signs can be subtle and hard to spot, even for serious infections like pneumonia or tuberculosis. This is like playing a game of hide and seek – the illness is there, but it’s hiding well.

This makes it harder for doctors to figure out what’s wrong and how to treat it. They need to be extra careful and do more tests to find the hidden problem. This can sometimes take longer than usual, but it’s important to be thorough to get to the root of the illness and help older adults get better.

Underestimation of Complexity

For a long time, older adults weren’t included in studies that helped doctors figure out how to treat diseases. This means that doctors didn’t have all the information they needed to give older adults the best care possible. It’s like having a puzzle with some missing pieces – you can’t see the whole picture and it’s hard to put everything together.

This is why it’s so important to include older adults in research now. By studying how diseases affect them and what treatments work best for them, doctors can give them the care they deserve. This can help older adults live longer, healthier lives.

Addressing the Research Gap

Recognizing the research gap and understanding the unique complexities of geriatric care is crucial to providing optimal healthcare to older adults.

Exclusion of Older People from Research Studies

The traditional exclusion of older people from research studies has limited our understanding of the specific healthcare needs of geriatric patients. By including older adults in research, we can gather valuable data and insights that can inform evidence-based guidelines and improve the quality of care.

Understanding Complexity and Adequate Therapy

Geriatric patients often require more than just traditional medical interventions. The loss of adaptability, functional reserves, and social resources necessitates a comprehensive approach that considers the patient’s individual circumstances, goals, and potential risks. By recognizing the complexity of geriatric care, healthcare professionals can provide more adequate and holistic therapies.

In conclusion, general medicine and geriatrics differ in various aspects of patient care, including diagnosis, investigation, rehabilitation, and management of infectious diseases. Understanding these differences is essential for healthcare professionals to provide specialised and tailored care to older adults. By recognizing the unique challenges and needs of geriatric patients, we can improve the overall quality of care and promote healthy ageing.

FAQs

1: What is general medicine?
General medicine, also known as internal medicine, focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. General physicians, or internists, manage various medical conditions across different organ systems.

2: What is geriatrics?
Geriatrics is a medical speciality that focuses on the healthcare needs of older adults. Geriatricians near you are specialised in providing comprehensive care for older adults, addressing age-related conditions, and promoting healthy ageing.

3: How can healthcare professionals provide better care for geriatric patients?
Healthcare professionals can provide better care for geriatric patients by recognizing the complexity of their needs and tailoring interventions accordingly. This includes considering individual circumstances, goals, and potential risks, and employing interdisciplinary approaches to rehabilitation and management.