Biography
Biography: Edward Luce
Abstract
Considerable emphasis has been placed contemporaneously on quality control in medical care and, more specifically, on physician maintenance of professional competence. Inevitably, this emphasis will focus on the aging physician in general and the surgeon in particular. The important question must be posed: When should surgeons retire? The obvious answer is when loss of competency occurs, but how is that loss determined?
The presentation will summarize the relatively little data available, give the results of a focused survey of 21 senior surgeons (average age 71), draw parallels between the aviation industry, and offer some recommendations for further study.