Franco-British disparities in medicine

A questionnaire in French and English was sent to physicians practising geriatric medicine in France and the UK concerning certain aspects of their clinical practice. It also enquired of the doctors their place of practice, year of qualification, present position held, and in which part of the respective country they worked. Most of the answers reflect major divergencies in methods of clinical practice between the two countries. These answers are reported, highlighted, commented on, and speculation made of the possible reasons for the differences. We feel that international questionnaires are a useful way of alerting doctors to areas of practice which are falsely assumed to be correct; they may also reveal the possible basic solutions to common clinical problems.