Clinical trials often exclude older people, and complex interventions are i
ncompletely studied, making it difficult to implement evidence-based medici
ne in some areas of aged care.
There is good-quality evidence to guide the treatment of many of the common
clinical problems encountered in older people.
Use of outcome measures in trials (eg, quality-adjusted life-years or disab
ility-adjusted life-years) that are normally applied to the general populat
ion may disadvantage older people, for whom regaining independence is the c
hief concern.
There is a gap between the availability of evidence and its application in
routine provision of medical care for older people.