Evaluation of a geriatric assessment tool for multimorbid patients at home in primary care

Background: Demographic changes in today’s societies lead to an increasing number of elderly frail patients, who suffer from multimorbidity (ie. ≥ 2 chronic conditions). As a consequence, general practitioners (GPs) as well as primary care teams play a key role in the management of these patients, who need holistic care. In this context, a systematic assessment of the patients‘ physical and psychosocial functioning is of importance. Therefore, we composed a person-centered assessment tool for these patients appropriate for use in primary care practice and focusing on people who live at home. Purpose of the present study was to evaluate the suitability of the composed assessment tool for implementation in primary care. Methods: The study has been carried out in Austria in 2017. A questionnaire consisting of closed, multiple choice and open-ended questions pertaining to every single test of the composed assessement as well as to the assessment tool as such, was designed and sent to GPs and nurses, who work with multimorbid patients who live at home. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, using SAS Enterprise Guide 6.1. Results: A total of 62 experts answered to the survey. Our results indicate that the vast majority of the responding experts perceive the composed assessment as a reasonable (55 out of 62 respondents) and useful (51 out of 57 respondents) tool. On the basis of factor analysis (sample criterium: KMO: 0.8 (= adequate)), which revealed three dimensions behind our assessment criteria, three respective indices (min 0 to max 100) were formed: operationalizability (72/100), usability (84/100), content validity (76/100). Conclusions: We conclude that the evaluated tool is perceived as a valuable instrument for primary care. Main messages: The composed geriatric assessment tool is suitable for the implementation in primary care. The evaluated tool supports a systematic approach in the assessment of patients‘ individual needs for treatment and care concerning their physical and psychosocial functioning.