We assist at a profound demographic change, which is the rapid aging of the society. Although some people reach a very old age completely free of physical ailments, most seniors are exposed to increasing frailty, disability and poor quality of life. More often than not, they have multiple concomitant diseases, which are more and more difficult to manage by the general practitioner alone. It is extremely challenging to establish a good medical approach in elderly patients, and in order to get a complete evidence of all medical problems and to prevent or reduce complains from the patients or their families, the doctors prefer to order numerous extra tests, procedures and interdisciplinary consults – best known as defensive medicine - which would result in more and more drugs and dietary restrictions recommended, and which would end up in polypharmacy, therapeutical non-compliance and iatrogeny. Defensive medical practices can be either positive or negative. When extra procedures are performed primarily to reduce malpractice liability, it is considered a positive defensive medicine. Avoidance of certain patients and procedures, thereby withdrawing medical services and denying patients care is negative defensive medicine. Such articles are accepeted to publish in Journal of Aging and Geriatric Medicine.

With regards

Managing Editor

Journal of Aging and Geriatric Medicine

40 Bloomsbury Way, Lower Ground Floor, London, United Kingdom

gerontol@scitecjournals.com