At my medical graduation over 25 years ago, the earnest guest speaker made us promise we would get ourselves a GP. All 160 of us humoured him, secretly believing illness was something that happened to other people.

I was 23 years old then. It took me 20 years to honour the promise. In that time, no friend issued me a prescription or arranged any tests: I guess I was lucky. During pregnancy, my obstetrician took charge but didn’t mention getting a GP. Becoming a parent made me realise the importance of objectivity in healthcare, which is how my family found a GP. To be clear, I don’t recommend any doctor delay finding a GP like I did, especially in this environment of stress and burnout.

Doctors make poor patients. We self-diagnose, self-refer and ignore symptoms we would never ignore in our patients. We are reluctant to seek care due to a mix of overconfidence, stigma and concerns about gossip and professional viability.

But just like everyone else, older doctors have rising health needs. Even with their greater experience, ageing results in a decline in processing speed, problem-solving ability, dexterity, vision and hearing. Experts advise that first to go is strength, then eyesight, dexterity, and finally, cognition. Knowledge, experience and reputation can compensate for years.

Of the 132,000 practising doctors in Australia, nearly 7,000 (5%) are aged 70 and over. Older doctors are more likely than their younger colleagues to attract complaints about clinical care, communication, record-keeping and prescribing, although it’s important to........

© The Guardian