A Description of Interventions Prompted by Preoperative Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Optimization in Older Elective Noncardiac Surgical Patients

Objectives: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), a multicomponent, complex intervention, can be used to improve perioperative outcomes. This study aimed to describe the actions and interventions prompted by preoperative CGA and optimization in elective noncardiac, older, surgical patients. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting and Participants: Five hundred consecutive patients aged over 65 years attending a preoperative CGA and optimization clinic in a single academic center. Methods: A retrospective review of electronic clinical records was undertaken. CGA prompted actions and interventions were categorized a priori and examined according to the perioperative pathway and frailty status. Results: Patients received a median of nine interventions (IQR 6‒12, range 0‒28). Long-term condition medication changes were made in 375 (75.0%) patients, lifestyle advice provided in 269 (53.8%), therapy interventions delivered in 117 (23.4%), shared decision making documented in 495 (99.0%) with individualized admission plans documented in 410/426 (96.2%). Following CGA, 74/500 (14.8%) patients did not undergo surgery and were more likely to have benign pathology (69% vs 53%, P =.01), higher frailty scores (Edmonton Frail Scale 8 (IQR 5‒10) vs 4 (IQR 2-6), P <.001), lower functional status (Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living 33 (IQR 16‒47) vs 57 (IQR 45‒64), P <.001) or cognitive scores (Montreal Cognitive Assessment 19 (IQR 14‒24) vs 24 (IQR 20‒26), P <.001). Conclusions and Implications: This study provides a description of actions and interventions prompted by preoperative CGA at one center. Such a detailed exploration of the CGA process and the clinical skills necessary to deliver it, should be used to inform future multicenter studies and the development and implementation of perioperative services for older patients.