Resilience among European geriatricians: a cross-sectional survey combining self-reported and performance-based measures

Background Comprehensive geriatric assessment and resilience evaluation are central to modern geriatric care. While geriatricians strongly advocate healthy ageing and prevention, little is known about their own resilience profiles. Methods During an international meeting of the European Academy for Medicine of Ageing (EAMA) held in July 2025 in Zeist, the Netherlands, and the 21st EuGMS Congress in Reykjavik, Iceland, we conducted a cross-sectional survey paired with standardized physical and cognitive performance tests. A composite resilience score was derived from standardized handgrip strength (sex-specific), chair stand performance, reaction time, and optimism and was associated with several person- and work-related characteristics in regression models. Results Ninety-four geriatricians (mean age 45.4 years; 66% women) participated. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, resilience was lower among geriatricians working in Western and Southern Europe compared with Northern Europe. Poorer electronic health record availability and unbalanced work–life conditions were independently associated with lower resilience. Conclusions Even among physicians highly aware of healthy ageing principles, resilience varies meaningfully across regions and working conditions. Organizational and contextual factors appear to matter more than individual lifestyle characteristics, highlighting the need to address physician well-being as part of sustainable geriatric care systems.