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Use of a Structured Functional Assessment Format in a Geriatric Consultative Service
Author(s) -
Katz Paul R.,
Dube David H.,
Calkins Evan
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1985.tb01776.x
Subject(s) - medicine , service (business) , geriatrics , gerontology , medical education , psychiatry , economy , economics
Interdisciplinary team assessment may not be feasible in the consultative setting because of scarce institutional resources. We explored the extent to which a physician‐administered multifaceted assessment could meet the needs of a geriatric consultative service and also provide for the comprehensive functional assessment of elderly patients. Fifty‐one consecutive patients, mean age 78, were evaluated. Domains measured included physical and mental health, socioeconomic resources, and activities of daily living. Despite a majority of consult requests for transfer of seemingly stable patients, unrecognized remediable problems were identified in most cases. Compliance with the consultant's recommendations was consistently poor, averaging less than 33% for all of the domains assessed. Nine of the study patients subsequently were transferred to the care of an interdisciplinary team on the geriatric assessment unit. Numbers and types of problems identified by the geriatric consultant were similar to those identified and managed by the interdisciplinary team. Geriatric consultation using a structured assessment format allows for the comprehensive and efficient disclosure of pertinent management issues. Improved compliance with consultant recommendations may be effected by better education of care providers to the special needs of the geriatric population.