Frailty and comprehensive geriatric assessment organized as CGA-ward or CGA-consult for older adult patients in the acute care setting : a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Background: With worldwide population aging, increasing numbers of people need hospital care. Evidence suggests comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is superior to usual care.Objective: To summarize the evidence for the effects of CGA in frail and moderately frail patients compared with usual care in acute care settings.Data sources: CINAHL, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed were searched in October 2011, January 2013, and February 2015.Study eligibility: Randomized controlled trials.Participants: Older adults aged ≥ 65 years who were admitted to hospital with a complex condition, divided into frail and moderately frail groups.Intervention: CGA.Control: Usual care.Outcomes: Change in housing, personal activities of daily living (PADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), readmission, cognitive function, depression, quality-of-life care-giver burden, and mortality.Study appraisal and synthesis: The grading of recommendations assessment development and evaluation (GRADE) system to assess the quality of evidence and PRISMA-guidelines for meta-analyses and reviews. Continuous data were presented as standardized mean differences and dichotomous data were presented as risk differences.Results: Twenty-nine articles based on 17 unique studies (6005 patients in total). CGA was categorized as CGA-ward or CGA-consult. In the frail group, CGA-ward was superior to usual care for change in housing, PADL, and depression. CGA-consult was superior to usual care for PADL and IADL in the moderately frail group.Conclusion: There was a stronger effect for frail older adults and CGA-ward compared with usual care. This highlights the importance of detecting frailty. However, the degree of evidence was limited.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Geriatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Geriatrics (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Annan medicin och hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Other Medical and Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Comprehensive geriatric assessment

Frailty

Acute care

Systematic review

Meta-analysis

Health and Welfare

Publication and Content Type

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