CHANGING CHARACTERISTICS OF PSYCHIATRISTS WHO TREAT GERIATRIC-PATIENTS

The authors used the 1982 and 1988-83 American Psychiatric Association 's Professional Activities Surveys (PAS) to describe changes in select ed characteristics of United States psychiatrists treating patients ag e 65 and older. High geriatric case volume (HGCV) categories were cons idered if these exceeded 20% during the last typical full work week. T he authors compared selected demographic and work-setting variables ac ross surveys and generated a legit multivariate regression model to pr edict geriatric case volume. Between 1982 and 1988-89, the overall pro portion of psychiatrist respondents reporting HGCVs increased by 98.6% , with significant increases for all demographic and most primary work -setting categories. The analysis suggests that during the 1980s the p roportion of American psychiatrists reporting HGCVs increased across a broad range of demographic and work-setting categories, but growth in case volume in outpatient service settings lagged behind.