Follow-up of comprehensive geriatric assessment in a family medicine residency clinic.

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of outpatient geriatric consultation by referring academic physicians and to verify the results of a previous study. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of charts of 37 patients referred for geriatric consultation during a 7-month period of a university- and community-hospital-affiliated family practice residency clinic in urban northeast Washington, DC. The consultation involved team assessment, which led to formal recommendations to the attending physician. Main outcome measures included total number and category of recommendations made, as well as a total number and category of recommendations adhered to by referring physicians. RESULTS There were 29 women and 8 men with an average age of 79.1 years; 5 were white and 32 were African-American. For the 23 patients for whom follow-up could be determined, the mean number of total diagnoses per patient was 11.4 (SD 3.5). The mean total number of recommendations made per patient was 18.1 (SD 5.9). The mean total number of recommendations acted upon per patient by referring physicians was 9.5 (SD 4.4). The recommendations fell into the following categories: rehabilitative 64 percent, radiologic 57.1 percent, laboratory 56.9 percent, total medication 55.6 percent, medical 50 percent, health maintenance 47.1 percent, social service 46.2 percent, sensory 33 percent, other 28.6 percent, educational 20 percent, and nutritional 14.3 percent. CONCLUSIONS Multidisciplinary geriatric assessment in an academic outpatient setting provides a comprehensive assessment for faculty and resident physicians in training. Recommendations will be adhered to only 50 to 70 percent of the time, possibly because of the demographic and socioeconomic mix and overall health of the patient population, health care priorities of the referring physician, and costs and availability of various interventions. Physicians in training should be exposed through continuing medical education to various aspects of geriatric assessment.