The introduction of the older patient's problems in the medical visit.

In this study of 100 diabetes patients 60 years old or older making return medical visits, 56% of patients reported one or more important medical problems that were never raised with their doctor. Sixty percent of patients reported important psychosocial problems that were never raised. One quarter of all patients were not able to raise even modest agendas of medical problems during the visit. These gaps in doctor-patient communication potentially reduce the effectiveness of medical care by failing to address symptoms of treatable conditions that impact functional status and quality of life.