Introduction: In recent years, we have been witnessing a significant demographic shift, characterised by an exponential increase in the elderly population. This requires a reorganisation of the societies and institutions involved, including the hospital system, which will have to take care of a growing number of elderly people. The effectiveness of care and patient satisfaction depend greatly on communication between doctor and patient. Although studies emphasise the importance of clear, empathetic and personalised communication, dynamics that can compromise effective communication persist, including gender and age stereotypes. Elderly patients, for example, are frequently seen as less capable of understanding or actively participating in the decision-making process, which can lead doctors to treat them in a paternalistic manner. These prejudices can influence communication processes even when doctors are not fully aware of them, leading to dynamics that do not encourage genuine patient involvement. Objectives: To investigate the role that stereotypes and prejudices about older people have on the communicative efficacy of physicians, as well as the role of the latter on the communication skills of physicians and their resulting job satisfaction. Method: A total of 194 hospital physicians (52.1% male; averageage: 46.6 years) were contacted and given a specially designed self-report questionnaire containing various measures such as: doctors' communicative efficacy towards elderly patients, communication skills, ageism, knowledge of ageing and support from colleagues and bosses (CFI= 0.988; TLI= 0.981; SRMR= 0.045; RMSEA= 0.03). Results: A path analysis was conducted, which revealed the predictive role of ageism with respect to the communicative efficacy of doctors, which in turn predicts communication skills. Furthermore, communication skills and support from superiors predict job satisfaction. Limitations: The sample contacted is small. Innovative aspects: The study focuses on a particularly topical issue and provides guidance for the training of future doctors and refresher courses for practising doctors.