Background: Iron deficiency anaemia in older adults is common, but its management presents unique challenges in diagnosis and management. Little is known about compliance with current best practice guidelines.
Methods: We undertook an online survey of physician members of the British Geriatrics Society to ascertain how they managed older patients with potential iron deficiency anaemia.
Results: There were 141 respondents (96% from UK). Almost a third indicated they would accept haemoglobin levels <100 g/dl without further investigation. A quarter said they would only occasionally or never check ferritin levels. Only 30% would sometimes or always use parenteral iron when oral supplements were not tolerated.
Conclusions: Responses suggest a high level of variation in clinical practice and low adherence to best practice guidelines. Possible explanations include an inadequate evidence base to guide management and a lack of knowledge on the challenges of managing iron deficiency anaemia in this population.
Keywords: ageing; anemia; audit; blood; elderly; haemoglobin; iron; treatment.