[Geriatrics seen from the primary care perspective]

To know the Primary Care Physicians opinion related to their own praxis, background, and needs for a specific medical support in geriatric medicine.

A closed mailed questionnaire, with 22 items. Descriptive analysis of the results. PEOPLE SAMPLE: 559 answers. 77% men. Age: main group (44%) between 35 and 39 years old. 80% of the sample worked in health centers as primary care physicians.

a) Praxis: 50% of the physicians attend more than 20 elderly patients every day. 38% of them have specific aged oriented protocols. 74% of them take age into account when decide the appropriate doses of drugs. b) Geriatric background: None at the undergraduate period: 96%. Some sort of postgraduate formation: 42%. Are able to identify at less a geriatric book: 34%. A score of 4.5 (over 10) was the result of their own assessment about their level of geriatric knowledge. 95% of the answers miss a better formation in geriatrics, and 93% of them think that this formation would change their clinical approach to the elderly patient. c) Needs of specialized geriatric support: It would be helpful to them according to a 84% of the answers. It could be as a "Geriatric Inhospital Service" in the opinion of a 44% of the cases (this question had a 18% of abstentions); and with geriatricians working as extrahospitalary consultants according to the answers of the 79% (6% of abstentions).

Primary care physicians have: 1. Many elderly patients, with an acceptable level of attention to them. 2. A poor geriatric formation and awareness of their needs. 3. Need of a specialized support in their daily work.