Abstract
Objectives: This study provides a current analysis of the size and characteristics of the board-certified geriatrician and geriatric psychiatrist workforce in Texas, and thereby its capacity to meet increasing health needs of elders. Method: Secondary data on Texas board-certified geriatricians and geriatric psychiatrists from American Board of Medical Specialties database were analyzed. Results: The study found 1 geriatrician per 5,132 elders, and 1 geriatric psychiatrist per 21,327 elders, in Texas. Over 62% of geriatricians had active certification, 30% were females and the average age was 55.2 years. Rural geriatricians were disproportionately scarce (p <.001). Discussion: The study indicated a serious shortage of board-certified geriatricians and geriatric psychiatrists in Texas. This shortage is worse than that at the national level, and more marked along the Texas-Mexico border and counties lacking large health facilities. Addressing this workforce deficiency requires improvements in the geriatric training pipeline, reimbursements, and practice environments.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1050-1064 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of Aging and Health |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2013 |
Keywords
- board-certified geriatric psychiatrists
- board-certified geriatricians
- geriatric psychiatrist-to-elderly population ratio
- geriatrician-to-elderly population ratio
- increased chronic disease burden among the elderly
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Sociology and Political Science
- Life-span and Life-course Studies