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Comprehensive geriatric assessment

Comprehensive geriatric assessment
Literature review current through: Jan 2024.
This topic last updated: Jul 22, 2022.

INTRODUCTION — Geriatric conditions such as functional impairment and dementia are common and frequently unrecognized or inadequately addressed in older adults. Identifying geriatric conditions by performing a geriatric assessment can help clinicians manage these conditions and prevent or delay their complications.

"Geriatric syndrome" is a term that is often used to refer to common health conditions in older adults that do not fit into distinct organ-based disease categories and often have multifactorial causes. The list includes conditions such as cognitive impairment, delirium, incontinence, malnutrition, falls, gait disorders, pressure ulcers, sleep disorders, sensory deficits, fatigue, and dizziness. These conditions are common in older adults, and they may have a major impact on quality of life and disability. Geriatric syndromes can best be identified by a geriatric assessment.

Although the geriatric assessment is a diagnostic process, the term is often used to include both evaluation and management. Geriatric assessment is sometimes used to refer to evaluation by the individual clinician (usually a primary care clinician or a geriatrician) and at other times is used to refer to a more intensive multidisciplinary program, also known as a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA).

This topic will review the indications for CGA, as well as its major components and evidence of its efficacy. General issues of geriatric health maintenance and the assessment of specific geriatric populations are discussed elsewhere. (See "Geriatric health maintenance" and "Office-based assessment of the older adult" and "Comprehensive geriatric assessment for patients with cancer".)

BACKGROUND — Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is defined as a multidisciplinary diagnostic and treatment process that identifies medical, psychosocial, and functional limitations of a frail older person in order to develop a coordinated plan to maximize overall health with aging [1,2]. The health care of an older adult extends beyond the traditional medical management of illness. It requires evaluation of multiple issues, including physical, cognitive, affective, social, financial, environmental, and spiritual components that influence an older adult's health. CGA is based on the premise that a systematic evaluation of frail, older persons by a team of health professionals may identify a variety of treatable health problems and lead to better health outcomes.

CGA programs are usually initiated through a referral by the primary care clinician or by a clinician caring for a patient in the hospital setting. The content of the assessment varies depending on different settings of care (eg, home, clinic, hospital, nursing home). CGA is not available in all settings, due to issues related to the time required for evaluation, need for coordination of multidisciplinary specialties, and lack of access to some disciplines (eg, outpatient social work, pharmacy, and nutrition) in some practices.

INDICATIONS FOR REFERRAL — The best evidence for comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is based on identifying appropriate patients (ie, excluding patients who are either too well or are too sick to derive benefit). No criteria have been validated to readily identify patients who are likely to benefit from CGA. Specific criteria used by CGA programs to identify patients include:

Age

Medical comorbidities such as heart failure or cancer

Psychosocial disorders such as depression or isolation

Specific geriatric conditions such as dementia, falls, or functional disability

Previous or predicted high health care utilization

Consideration of change in living situation (eg, from independent living to assisted living, nursing home, or in-home caregivers)

One outpatient approach would be to refer patients for CGA who are found to have problems in multiple areas during geriatric assessment screens (see "Office-based assessment of the older adult"). Major illnesses (eg, those requiring hospitalization or increased home resources to manage medical and functional needs) should also prompt referral for CGA, particularly for functional status, fall risk, cognitive problems, and mood disorders. (See "Geriatric health maintenance" and 'Major components' below.)

An inpatient approach would be to refer older patients admitted for a specific medical or surgical reason (eg, fractures, failure to thrive, recurrent pneumonia, pressure sores). Another approach would be to have all patients above a certain age (eg, 85 years) or above a threshold on instruments predicting hospital readmission [3] receive preliminary screening to determine whether a full multidisciplinary evaluation is needed.

Most outpatient CGA programs exclude patients who are unlikely to benefit because of terminal illness, severe dementia, complete functional dependence, or inevitable nursing home placement. However, some of these patients (eg, those with severe dementia) may benefit by increasing the capabilities of caregivers when the assessment is accompanied by ongoing care management [4]. Exclusionary criteria have also included identifying older persons who are "too healthy" to benefit, such as those who are completely functional without any medical comorbidities.

ASSESSMENT TEAM — The range of health care professionals working in the assessment team varies based on the services provided by individual comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) programs. In many settings, the CGA process relies on a core team consisting of a clinician, nurse, and social worker and, when appropriate, draws upon an extended team of physical and occupational therapists, dietitians, pharmacists, psychiatrists, psychologists, dentists, audiologists, podiatrists, and opticians. Although these professionals are usually on-staff in the hospital setting and are also available in the community, access to and reimbursement for these services have limited the availability of CGA programs. Increasingly, CGA programs are moving towards a "virtual team" concept in which members are included as needed, assessments are conducted at different locations on different days, and team communication is completed via telephone or electronically, often through the electronic health record.

Traditionally, the various components of the evaluation are completed by different members of the team, with considerable variability in the assessments. The medical assessment of older persons may be conducted by a physician (usually a geriatrician), nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. The core team (geriatrician, nurse, social worker) may conduct only brief initial assessments or screens for some dimensions. These may be subsequently augmented with more in-depth evaluations by additional professionals. As an example, a dietitian may be needed to assess dietary intake and provide recommendations on optimizing nutrition, or an audiologist may need to conduct a more extensive assessment of hearing loss and evaluate an older person for a hearing aid.

CONDUCTING THE ASSESSMENT

Framework — Conceptually, comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) involves several processes of care that are shared over several providers in the assessment team. The overall care rendered by CGA teams providing longitudinal assessment and care can be divided into six steps:

Data-gathering

Discussion among the team, increasingly including the patient and/or caregiver as a member of the team

Development, with the patient and/or caregiver, of a treatment plan

Implementation of the treatment plan

Monitoring response to the treatment plan

Revising the treatment plan

Each of these steps is essential if the process is to be successful at achieving maximal health and functional benefits. However, monitoring response and revising the treatment plan may be left to primary care providers if the model relies on a single consultation.

Several different models for CGA have been implemented in various health care settings. Some CGA programs rely on post-discharge assessment due to the pressure to decrease lengths of hospital stay and reduce readmissions. Furthermore, while most of the early CGA programs focused on restorative or rehabilitative goals (tertiary prevention), many newer programs are aimed at primary and secondary prevention. (See "Geriatric health maintenance", section on 'Overview of prevention for older adults'.)

Assessment tools — Although the amount of potentially important information may seem overwhelming, formal assessment tools and shortcuts can reduce this burden on the clinician performing the initial CGA [5]. A pre-visit questionnaire sent to the patient or caregiver prior to the initial assessment can be a timesaving method to gather a large amount of information (table 1) [6]. These questionnaires can also be completed through secure portals of electronic health records.

These questionnaires can be used to gather information about general history (eg, past medical history, medications, social history, review of systems), as well as gather information specific to CGA, such as:

Ability to perform functional tasks and need for assistance

Fall history

Urinary and/or fecal incontinence

Pain

Sources of social support, particularly family or friends

Depressive symptoms

Vision or hearing difficulties

Whether the patient has completed a durable power of attorney for health care or Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)

Office staff can be trained to administer screening instruments to both save time and help the clinician to hone in on specific disabilities that need more detailed evaluation (table 1) [7].

MAJOR COMPONENTS — Core components of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) that should be evaluated during the assessment process are as follows:

Functional capacity

Fall risk

Cognition

Mood

Polypharmacy

Social support

Financial concerns

Goals of care

Advance care preferences

Additional components may also include evaluation of the following:

Nutrition/weight change

Urinary continence

Sexual function

Vision/hearing

Dentition

Living situation

Spirituality

This section will focus on the core components of CGA. Although other aspects of the geriatric assessment are usually addressed during the CGA (eg, vision/hearing, nutrition), these components are discussed separately. (See "Geriatric health maintenance".)

Functional status — Functional status refers to the ability to perform activities necessary or desirable in daily life. Functional status is directly influenced by health conditions, particularly in the context of an elder's environment and social support network. Changes in functional status (eg, not being able to bathe independently) should prompt further diagnostic evaluation and intervention. Measurement of functional status can be valuable in monitoring response to treatment and can provide prognostic information that assists in long-term care planning.

Activities of daily living — An older adult's functional status can be assessed at three levels: basic activities of daily living (BADLs), instrumental or intermediate activities of daily living (IADLs), and advanced activities of daily living (AADLs).

BADLs refer to self-care tasks which include:

Bathing

Dressing

Toileting

Maintaining continence

Grooming

Feeding

Transferring

IADLs refer to the ability to maintain an independent household which include:

Shopping for groceries

Driving or using public transportation

Using the telephone

Performing housework

Doing home repair

Preparing meals

Doing laundry

Taking medications

Handling finances

Other possible IADLs that reflect the increased reliance on technology, which have not been validated, include:

Ability to use a cellphone or smartphone

Ability to use the internet

Ability to keep a schedule of activities

AADLs vary considerably from individual to individual. These advanced activities include the ability to fulfill societal, community, and family roles as well as participate in recreational or occupational tasks.

Scales that measure functional status at each of these levels have been developed and validated. The Vulnerable Elders Scale-13 (VES-13) is a 13-item screening tool that is based upon age, self-rated health, and the ability to perform functional and physical activities [8-10]. It identifies populations of community-dwelling elders at increased risk for functional decline or death over a five-year period (table 2). The VES-13 can be self-administered or administered by nonmedical personnel over the telephone or at an office visit in less than five minutes. Because of its brevity, the Clinical Frailty Scale is also used in clinical practice (figure 1) [11].

Questions that ask about specific BADL and IADL functions have also been incorporated into a variety of more generic, health-related quality-of-life instruments (eg, the Medical Outcomes Study Short-form and its shorter version, the SF-12; the PROMIS family of instruments) [9,12-14]. Two commonly used indices are the Katz index for ADLs (table 3) and the Lawton scale for IADLs (table 4). Some AADLs (eg, exercise and leisure time physical activity) can be ascertained by using standardized instruments. However, given the broad nature of AADLs, open-ended questions asking how one's day is spent might provide a better assessment of function in healthier older persons.

Adults over age 70 are more likely to have motor vehicle accidents as well as increased associated mortality. The patient's ability and safety to drive a car should also be evaluated in the functional assessment. (See "Approach to the evaluation of older drivers".)

Gait speed — In addition to measures of ADLs, gait speed alone predicts functional decline and early mortality in older adults [15]. Assessing gait speed in clinical practice may identify patients who need further evaluation, such as those at increased risk of falls. Additionally, assessing gait speed may help identify frail patients who might not benefit from treatment of chronic asymptomatic diseases such as hypertension. For example, elevated blood pressure in individuals age 65 and older was associated with increased mortality only in individuals with a walking speed ≥0.8 meters/second (measured over 6 meters or 20 feet) [16].

Falls/imbalance — Approximately one-third of community-dwelling persons age 65 years and one-half of those over 80 years of age fall each year. Patients who have fallen or have a gait or balance problem are at higher risk of having a subsequent fall and losing independence. An assessment of fall risk should be integrated into the history and physical examination of all geriatric patients (algorithm 1). (See "Falls in older persons: Risk factors and patient evaluation", section on 'Falls risk assessment' and "Approach to abnormal gait in adults".)

Cognition — The incidence of dementia increases with age, particularly among those over 85 years, yet many patients with cognitive impairment remain undiagnosed. The value of making an early diagnosis includes the possibility of uncovering treatable conditions and initiating advance care planning while the person still has capacity to participate in the process. The evaluation of cognitive function can include a thorough history and brief cognition screens [17]. If these raise suspicion for cognitive impairment, additional evaluation is indicated, which may include collateral information-gathering, detailed mental status examination, tests to evaluate medical conditions that may contribute to cognitive impairment (eg, B12, thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]), depression assessment, and/or radiographic imaging (computed tomography [CT] or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]). Further evaluation in some persons includes neuropsychologic testing. (See "Evaluation of cognitive impairment and dementia".)

Mood disorders — Depressive illness in the elder population is a serious health concern leading to unnecessary suffering, impaired functional status, increased mortality, and excessive use of health care resources. (See "Diagnosis and management of late-life unipolar depression".)

Late-life depression remains underdiagnosed and inadequately treated. Depression in elder adults may present atypically and may be difficult to assess in patients with cognitive impairment. A two-question screener is easily administered and likely to identify patients at risk if both questions are answered affirmatively [18]. The questions are:

"During the past month, have you been bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?"

"During the past month, have you been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?"

This two-question screen is sensitive but not specific (table 5). Thus, a positive screen should be supplemented with seven additional questions to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) [19,20]. The PHQ-9 has increasingly been used to detect and monitor depression symptoms among elder adults (table 6) [21]. The PHQ-9 provides a reliable and valid measure of depression severity.

A variety of other screens for depression are available and each has its advantages and disadvantages [22].

Polypharmacy — Older persons are often prescribed multiple medications by different health care providers, putting them at increased risk for drug-drug interactions and adverse drug events. The clinician should review the patient's medications at each visit. The best method of detecting potential problems with polypharmacy is to have patients bring in all of their medications (prescription and nonprescription) in their bottles. Discrepancies between what is documented in the medical record and what the patient is actually taking must be reconciled. As health systems have moved towards electronic health records and e-prescribing, the potential to detect potential medication errors and interactions has increased substantially. Although this can improve safety, record-generated messages about unimportant or rare interactions may lead to "reminder fatigue." (See "Drug prescribing for older adults" and "Deprescribing".)

Elder patients should also be asked about alternative medical therapy. As an example, herb use can be assessed by questioning: "What prescription medications, over the counter medicines, vitamins, herbs, or supplements do you use?" (See "Overview of herbal medicine and dietary supplements".)

Social and financial support — The existence of a strong social support network in an older adult's life can frequently be the determining factor of whether the patient can remain at home or needs placement in an institution. A brief screen of social support includes taking a social history and determining who would be available to the older adult to help if they became ill. Early identification of problems with social support can help planning and timely development of resource referrals. For patients with functional impairment, the clinician should ascertain who the person has available to help with activities of daily living. (See 'Activities of daily living' above.)

Caregivers should be screened periodically for symptoms of depression or caregiver burnout and, if present, referred for additional caregiving services, counseling, or support groups. Elder mistreatment should be considered in any geriatric assessment, particularly if the patient presents with contusions, burns, bite marks, genital or rectal trauma, pressure ulcers, or malnutrition with no clinical explanation. (See "Elder abuse, self-neglect, and related phenomena".)

The financial situation of a functionally impaired older adult is important to assess. Older adults may qualify for state or local benefits (eg, In-Home Supportive Services), depending upon their income. Older patients occasionally have other benefits such as long-term care insurance or veteran's benefits that can help in paying for caregivers or prevent the need for institutionalization.

Goals of care — Most older adult patients who are appropriate for CGA have limited potential to return to fully healthy and independent lives. Hence, choices must be made about what outcomes are most important for them and their families. Goals of care often differ from advance care preferences that focus on future states of health that would be acceptable, determination of surrogates to make decisions, and medical treatments. Generally, advance directives are framed in the context of future deterioration in health status. (See 'Advance care preferences' below.)

By contrast, a patient’s goals of care are often positive (eg, regaining a previous health status, attending a future family event). Frequently, social (eg, living at home, maintaining social activities) and functional (eg, completing ADLs without help) goals assume priority over health-related goals (eg, survival) [23]. They are also person-centric and individualized. For example, regaining independent ambulation after a hip fracture may be a goal for one patient whereas another might be content with use of a walker. Both short-term and longer-range goals should be considered and progress towards meeting these goals should be monitored, including reassessment if goals are not met within a specified time period [24]. Approaches that have been used in CGA include Goal Attainment Scaling [25,26] and priorities-aligned decision-making [27]. However, clinicians can establish and monitor patient goals more informally by determining these in the course of clinical care and asking about them during subsequent visits.

Advance care preferences — Clinicians should begin discussions with all patients about preferences for specific treatments while the patient still has the cognitive capacity to make these decisions. These discussions should include preparation for in-the-moment decision-making [28], which includes choosing an appropriate decision-maker (ie, appointing a durable power of attorney, also known as a health care proxy, to serve as a surrogate in the event of personal incapacity), clarifying and articulating patients’ values over time, and thinking about factors other than the patient's stated preferences in surrogate decision-making. As an example, patients who want to extend their life as long as possible might be asked about what should be done if the patient’s health status changes and doctors recommend against further treatment, or if it becomes too hard for loved ones to keep them at home. Advance directives help guide therapy if a patient is unable to speak for him or herself and are vital to caring optimally for the geriatric population. (See "Ethical issues in palliative care".)

Tools have been developed to help providers elicit and document care preferences and promote shared end-of-life decision-making among seriously ill patients [6,7], including the Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) [29,30] and Prepare for Your Care [31].

EFFICACY — Most meta-analyses have found that comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) leads to improved detection and documentation of geriatric problems [1,32-36]. However, the ability of CGA to improve outcomes (eg, decreased hospitalization, nursing home admission, and mortality) depends on specific CGA models and the settings where they have been implemented.

Several meta-analyses of randomized trials have evaluated five models of CGA [1,32-36]:

Home geriatric assessment

Acute geriatric care units

Post-hospital discharge

Outpatient consultation

Inpatient consultation

Home geriatric assessment and acute geriatric care units have been shown to be consistently beneficial for several health outcomes. By contrast, the data are conflicting for post-hospital discharge, outpatient geriatric consultation, and inpatient geriatric consultation services.

A meta-analysis of 21 studies published prior to April 2020 focused on models, both single and multiple assessments, delivered in community or home settings for community-dwelling, high-risk, frail older persons [37]. The authors concluded that for these persons, CGA had little or no benefit on mortality (risk ratio [RR] 0.88, 95% CI 0.76-1.02) or nursing home admissions (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.76-1.14) but reduced the risk of unplanned hospital admissions over approximately one year (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.99).

Home assessment — Home geriatric assessment programs focus primarily on preventive rather than rehabilitative services. Although home assessment programs vary, most programs include a visiting nurse trained in geriatric care, as well as a physical therapist, social worker, psychologist, and specialty referrals when appropriate. In addition to home visits, telephone follow-up is routinely performed. Patients assessed at home are usually followed for at least one year. Although the number of frail older adults receiving home-based medical care is increasing, the majority of eligible homebound and home-limited older adults, particularly rural residents, have not received these services [38].

Multiple meta-analyses have found home assessments to be consistently effective in reducing functional decline as well as overall mortality [1,33-35]. As an example, a meta-analysis of 21 randomized trials found that multidimensional home visit programs were effective in reducing functional decline if a clinical examination was conducted (odds ratio [OR] 0.64, CI 0.48-0.87) and in reducing mortality in patients age ≤77 years old (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.94) [35]. However, the home visits did not significantly prevent nursing home admissions (OR 0.86, CI 0.68-1.10). Like other meta-analyses for home assessments, this study was limited by heterogeneity across studies for all outcomes.

Acute geriatric care units — Several inpatient geriatric unit approaches have been developed in a variety of clinical settings. Within the US Department of Veterans Affairs Hospitals, these are usually referred to as Geriatric Evaluation and Management Units (GEMUs). In academic and private sector hospitals, they are usually labeled Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) units. ACE units initially included structural modifications to promote mobility and simulate living conditions at home in preparation for a return to independence. More recently, however, ACE units are located on conventional hospital wards as designated geriatric units and tend to focus exclusively on processes of acute care rather than providing simulated living conditions and extended rehabilitation.

GEMUs are hospital wards that care for frail older patients through the multidisciplinary team approach. GEMUs have two main advantages over inpatient CGA consultation models. First, clinicians staffing the unit generally assume primary care of the patient, thus facilitating the implementation of recommendations. Second, the availability and experience of a dedicated team of providers (eg, nurses and therapists) increase the consistency and geriatric orientation of hospital care.

Numerous studies have compared the effect of inpatient CGA with usual care. A meta-analysis of 29 randomized trials involving nearly 14,000 participants found that patients who received CGA were more likely to be living at home (relative risk [RR] 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.10) and were less likely to be admitted to a nursing home up to a year after hospital admission (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72-0.89) [39]. There were no differences in dependence or cognitive status. CGA did not reduce the risk of death or the need for assistance with activities such as feeding or walking. This meta-analyses was limited by wide variability in interventions across studies. Moreover, due to length of stay (up to three months), such rehabilitative units are rarely available in the United States outside the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals.

ACE units in acute care hospitals promote mobility and include processes to provide patient-centered care with nursing-initiated protocols. ACE units involve more intensive discharge planning and more detailed education to improve medication compliance, in comparison with usual hospital care. In clinical trials, care in ACE units was associated with greater independence in ADLs at discharge [40] and at one year [41], less frequent discharge to a nursing home, shorter and less expensive hospitalization [40,42], and reduced 30-day readmission rates [42], as well as higher satisfaction rates among patients, family members, clinicians, and nurses [43].

Due to the logistical barriers of having dedicated geriatric inpatient units (eg, unfilled beds when the census is light, overflow to other units when the unit is full), some programs have attempted to recreate the core elements of ACE units for hospitalized older persons who are not located on a single unit [44]. One matched cohort study indicated that benefits may include lower rates of adverse events, shorter hospital stays, and better satisfaction [45]. Whether these "virtual" units are as effective as ACE units is unknown; a 2011 meta-analysis suggests that they are not [46]. The lack of a consistent nursing staff that is trained in the care of older persons may diminish the effectiveness of this model. However, a pilot study of a virtual ACE on two medical-surgical acute care units with geriatric assessments completed by nursing staff showed improvements in getting patients up to the chair and reduced the prevalence of abnormal delirium screening scores [47].

Post-hospital discharge — Key elements of post-hospital discharge geriatric assessment include targeting criteria to identify vulnerable patients, a program of multidimensional assessment, comprehensive discharge planning, and home follow-up with nurses with specialized geriatrics training who visit the patients during the hospitalization and at least twice during the weeks following discharge. This intervention usually is initiated one to two days prior to hospital discharge. Similar to the home assessments discussed above, the post-discharge home visits are supplemented by telephone calls and additional visits by physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, and/or home nursing services when indicated. (See 'Home assessment' above.)

Studies of CGA have found inconsistent benefit for post-hospital discharge programs [1,48-51]. As an example, in a randomized trial of post-hospitalization CGA conducted in the home versus usual care, there was no difference between treatment and control arms in reducing functional decline, readmission rates, or mortality after 60 days [48]. In another randomized trial of comprehensive discharge planning with home follow-up versus usual care, there was no difference in functional status, post-discharge acute care visits, depression, or patient satisfaction after 24 weeks [49]. However, those randomly assigned to the intervention were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital compared with the control group (20 versus 37 percent, respectively). The intervention was also associated with a reduction in cost. Subsequent studies of similar discharge management programs with in-home follow-up have also found a reduction in readmission rates, for up to 12 months in some studies [51]. A systematic review found that many of the components of CGA were parts of care transition interventions that were effective in reducing rehospitalizations and emergency department visits [52].

CGA programs for patients discharged to home from the emergency department were found to be effective at reducing emergency department visits and hospital admission [50]. However, a clinical trial did not show benefit for those who were frail or at high risk of frailty [53].

Outpatient consultation — Although meta-analyses have not shown benefit of outpatient CGA consultation [1,32], more complex CGA programs that address adherence to program recommendations and treat patients at higher risk of hospitalization have led to improved outcomes [54,55].

The first meta-analysis to evaluate CGA included four randomized trials and did not demonstrate benefit from outpatient CGA consultation in terms of hospital admission, nursing home placement, or physical/cognitive function [1]. However, one trial from this meta-analysis did not address whether recommendations from CGA were implemented and another trial included patients with poor prognoses, which may limit the generalizability of these data.

Some [54-57], but not all [58], of the subsequent randomized trials have shown some efficacy of outpatient CGA. Representative trials include:

CGA coupled with an adherence intervention designed to empower the patient and prompt the primary care clinician to adhere to CGA recommendations was evaluated in a randomized trial [54]. Among community-dwelling older persons with functional disability, urinary incontinence, falls, or depressive symptoms, those randomly assigned to CGA with adherence intervention had less functional decline, less fatigue, and better social functioning over a 15-month period compared with the control group.

In a randomized trial evaluating CGA followed by six months of interdisciplinary primary care versus usual primary care in a population at risk for high health care utilization, those randomly assigned to treatment had reduced functional decline, depression, and use of home health services compared with the control group over 15 to 18 months following randomization [55].

However, in a large, cluster-randomized trial of multidimensional geriatric assessment followed by either geriatric team management or the primary care clinician alone, there were no differences between the groups in hospitalization, admission to other institutions, and quality of life [58].

In a meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials (n = 3750) evaluating mortality, there was no benefit of outpatient CGA on survival (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.82-1.12) [32]. Tests for heterogeneity showed consistency between trial data.

Specialized team management — Approaches to outpatient CGA have used some of the more successful components of older models and adapted them to programs within primary care practices:

Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders (GRACE) includes home-based CGA and long-term care management by a nurse practitioner and social worker who collaborate with the primary care clinician and a geriatrics interdisciplinary team. In a randomized trial of low-income older patients, those randomly assigned to the GRACE intervention had better health-related quality-of-life and fewer emergency department visits compared with those assigned to usual care [59]. Patients at high risk of hospitalization also had fewer admissions by the second year.

Guided Care integrates an intensively trained nurse into primary care practices to provide geriatric assessment and chronic care management to high-risk patients. In a randomized trial of chronically ill older patients, those randomly assigned to Guided Care reported improved satisfaction rates and had less health care utilization with lower costs of care compared with those randomly assigned to usual care at eight months [60,61], but by 20 months of follow-up, the only significant reduction of health care was fewer episodes of home health care in the intervention group (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.53-0.93). Among health maintenance organization (HMO) patients, the intervention also reduced the number of skilled nursing facility admissions (OR 0.53, CI 0.31-0.89) and days of hospitalization (OR 0.48, CI 0.28-0.84) [62].

Practice redesign approaches (screening, structured visit notes, delegation to office staff, outreach to community resources) focus on specific geriatric conditions for assessment and management by clinicians or nurse practitioners. In two trials of patients in community-based practices, patients randomly assigned to practice-based interventions received better quality of care for falls and incontinence compared with those randomly assigned to usual care [56]. In a study within an academic geriatrics practice, this model of comanagement for five geriatric conditions resulted in improvements in quality of care for dementia, falls, and urinary incontinence when compared with a wait list control group; similar findings have been demonstrated in community-based practices [63,64].

Inpatient consultation — A meta-analysis of randomized trials of inpatient consultation found benefit for short-term (six- and eight-month) survival but no effect on functional status, readmission, or length of stay [65]. Two previous meta-analyses of inpatient consultation for CGA showed little benefit [1,66].

Many of the principles of inpatient CGA consultation have been incorporated into comanagement programs. As an example, comanagement with a geriatrician may reduce mortality, complications, delirium, and rehospitalization among patients with hip fracture on the surgical service [67-71]. A meta-analysis of surgical comanagement demonstrated decreased length of stay and suggested the possibility of decreased inpatient mortality [72]. In a second meta-analysis, CGA for persons with hip fracture provided as consultation or on an inpatient unit reduced the likelihood of being discharged to a setting where they would receive an increased level of care such as an assisted-living or long-term care facility compared with discharge home; although not significant, the meta-analysis suggested a benefit on inpatient mortality [70].

New applications of comprehensive geriatric assessment — Principles and processes of CGA are increasingly being applied to subspecialties [73] and subspecialty [74] conditions, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy [75,76] (two clinical trials showed reduced drug toxicity [77,78]); infective endocarditis [79]; considerations of surgery or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for patients with aortic stenosis [80]; vascular surgery [81]; and postoperative mortality risk [82]. In addition, CGA has been incorporated into new models of care such as Hospital at Home [83].

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is defined as a multidisciplinary diagnostic and treatment process that identifies medical, psychosocial, and functional capabilities of an older adult in order to develop a coordinated plan to maximize overall health with aging. CGA is based on the premise that a systematic evaluation of frail older persons by a team of health professionals may identify a variety of treatable health problems and lead to better health outcomes. (See 'Background' above.)

No standard criteria are available to readily identify patients who are likely to benefit from CGA. Specific criteria used by CGA programs to identify patients include:

Age

Medical comorbidities (eg, hip fracture, transcatheter aortic valve replacement [TAVR])

Psychosocial problems

Specific geriatric conditions such as functional disability and frailty

Previous or predicted high health care utilization

Consideration of change in living situation (eg, from independent living to assisted living, nursing home, or in-home caregivers) (see 'Indications for referral' above)

Community-dwelling older patients with functional disability, frailty, increased fall risk, cognitive decline, depression, or those at high risk for high health care utilization are appropriate candidates for CGA. Follow-up support is needed to ensure implementation of the findings of the CGA. (See 'Indications for referral' above.)

Inpatients admitted with fractures, failure to thrive, recurrent pneumonia, and pressure sores may benefit from hospitalization on a geriatric unit that provides CGA. Patients age ≥85 years who have geriatric conditions such as dementia or immobility should also be considered for care on these units. (See 'Indications for referral' above.)

The assessment team usually consists of a clinician, nurse, and social worker. Depending on the setting and patient's condition, the team may also include physical and occupational therapists, dietitians, pharmacists, psychiatrists, psychologists, dentists, audiologists, podiatrists, and opticians. (See 'Assessment team' above.)

There are several components of CGA that should be evaluated, including (see 'Major components' above):

Functional capacity

Fall risk

Cognition

Mood

Polypharmacy

Nutrition/weight change

Urinary incontinence

Vision/hearing

Dentition

Living situation

Social support

Financial concerns

Goals of care

Spirituality

Advance care preferences

Home geriatric assessment has been shown to be effective in improving functional status, preventing institutionalization, and reducing mortality. CGA performed in the hospital, especially in dedicated units, also has benefit on survival. Most programs of hospital discharge management with in-home follow-up have reduced readmission rates. However, studies of CGA have found inconsistent benefit for outpatient and inpatient geriatric consultation, except in the context of specific conditions (eg, hip fracture). (See 'Efficacy' above.)

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Topic 3009 Version 37.0

References

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