Impact of geriatric co-management programmes on outcomes in older surgical patients: update of recent evidence.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To determine the impact of geriatric co-management programmes on outcomes in older patients undergoing a surgical procedure. RECENT FINDINGS: Twelve programmes were identified. Time to surgery was decreased in two of four studies [pooled mean difference = -0.7 h (95% CI, -3.1 to 4.4)]. The incidence of complications was reduced in two of seven studies (pooled absolute risk reduction = -4% (95% CI -10 to 2%)). Length of stay was reduced in four of eight studies [pooled mean difference = -1.4 days (95% CI -2.7 to -0.1)]. In-hospital mortality was reduced in one of six studies [pooled absolute risk reduction = -2% (95% CI -4 to -0%)]. Unplanned hospital readmissions at 30 days follow-up was reduced in two of three studies [pooled absolute risk reduction = -3% (95% CI -5 to -0%)]. SUMMARY: There was a shorter length of stay, less mortality and a lower readmission rate. However, there was uncertainty whether the results are clinically relevant and the GRADE of evidence was low. It was uncertain whether the outcomes time to surgery and complications were improved. The evidence is limited to hip fracture patients.

Transforming an Orthopaedic Unit Into an "Age-Friendly" Unit Through Implementation of the American Geriatrics Society's CoCare: Ortho Program.

OBJECTIVE: To transform an inpatient orthopaedic unit into an age-friendly unit for geriatric fracture center (GFC) patients. DESIGN: Pragmatic dissemination study of a continuous quality improvement intervention with episodic data review. SETTING: Large quaternary care university hospital with no on-site geriatrics program and no dedicated geriatric inpatient unit. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals 60 years of age and older with fragility fracture of the native proximal femur hospitalized from July 2017 to June 2020. INTERVENTION: A hospital medicine-orthopaedics comanagement model for a GFC was developed using processes, tools, and education provided by the American Geriatrics Society's AGS CoCare: Ortho program to support the age-friendly 4Ms principles: mentation, mobility, medications, and what matters. Delirium reduction strategies included minimizing sleep interruption through changes in blood draw times, order sets for pain management, and nursing education. Mobility specialists were incorporated to improve early mobilization on the orthopaedic unit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Frequency of weight-bearing on postoperative day 1 and frequency of delirium among GFC patients on the orthopaedic unit were compared with those among concurrent GFC patients on other units. RESULTS: Frequency of delirium was 26% among patients on the orthopaedic unit versus 35% among those on other units (P = 0.055). Frequency of weight-bearing on post-operative day 1 was 84% among patients on the orthopaedic unit versus 72% among those on other units (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: AGS CoCare: Ortho is an effective dissemination program for establishing a hospital medicine-orthopaedics comanagement program and making an orthopaedic unit age-friendly in a hospital without onsite geriatricians or a dedicated geriatrics unit. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Own the Fall: AOA Critical Issues.

ABSTRACT: Falls are the most common cause of injury to older patients, resulting in >3 million emergency room visits per year and 290,000 hip fractures annually in the United States. Orthopaedic surgeons care for the majority of these patients; however, they are rarely involved in the assessment of fall risk and providing prevention strategies. Falls also occur perioperatively (e.g., in patients with arthritis and those undergoing arthroplasty). Preoperatively, up to 40% of patients awaiting joint arthroplasty sustain a fall, and 20% to 40% have a fall postoperatively. Risk factors for falls include intrinsic factors such as age and comorbidities that are not modifiable as well as extrinsic factors, including medication reconciliation, improvement in the environment, and the management of modifiable comorbidities that can be optimized. Simple in-office fall assessment tools are available that can be adapted for the orthopaedic practice and be used to identify patients who would benefit from rehabilitation. Orthopaedic surgeons should incorporate these strategies to improve care and to reduce fall risk and associated adverse events.

The Diverse Implementation of Geriatrics-Orthopedics Comanagement Programs in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Many health systems are establishing geriatrics-orthopedics (Geri-Ortho) comanagement programs; however, there is paucity of published information on existing programs' variations in clinical operations, structure, and reported implementation challenges and perceived successes. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to obtain detailed information about the variety of existing Geri-Ortho comanagement programs in the United States. DESIGN/PARTICPANTS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 44 existing Geri-Ortho comanagement programs, with 23 (52%) of programs responding. MEASUREMENT: Quantitative questions were used to assess operational, staffing, and financial structures; and qualitative questions were used to identify reported challenges and perceived successes of implementation. RESULTS: Programs self-identified as urban (n = 23), academic (n = 20), or nonprofit (n = 22) and as having a level I trauma center (n = 17). Most programs (n = 18) were funded fully by the institution. Fourteen programs used geriatricians, and nine used medicine/hospitalists as the supporting clinical service, whereas approximately half (n = 11) used these services in a true comanagement model. Six universal themes were identified as necessary for program implementation. The most commonly described successes perceived by all respondents were improvements in clinical outcomes and better interdisciplinary relationships. Reported challenges included difficulty in interdisciplinary geriatrics education, difficulty in adherence to protocols, and lack of funding for staffing. CONCLUSIONS: There are diverse types of Geri-Ortho comanagement programs in the United States, although universal elements exist. Many had similar challenges in implementation, and further studies are needed to determine which implementation elements are critical to clinical and financial outcomes. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1714-1719, 2020.

Implementation of Hip Fracture Co-Management Program (AGS CoCare: Ortho®) in a Large Health System.

OBJECTIVES: Acute hip fracture is common and leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Co-management programs, such as American Geriatric Society (AGS) CoCare: Ortho®, that optimize perioperative care of older adults, have demonstrated improved outcomes. Yet there is substantial variation in hip fracture care nationally. Our objective was to describe the implementation of AGS CoCare: Ortho® across a large integrated health system. DESIGN: Program implementation of four phases. SETTING: Large integrated health system. PARTICIPANTS: One tertiary and three community hospitals. MEASUREMENTS: The first two phases were communication and system-level planning. The communication phase consisted of getting health system leadership buy-in, creating an interdisciplinary steering committee, and building a business model. The planning phase consisted of choosing process and outcome measures, ensuring accurate and timely data collection, and creating standardized order sets and physician documentation. RESULTS: The second two phases were hospital-level planning and implementation. The planning phase consisted of identifying sites and developing the co-management structure. The implementation phase consisted of identifying and engaging frontline staff, rolling out the program, optimizing workflow, and educating providers. CONCLUSION: The program was implemented at four diverse sites. Major lessons learned included the need for an engaged steering committee to oversee the program; the importance of standardizing order sets and documentation; the utilization of hospitalists as co-managers; the benefit of developing and actively using a data dashboard; the challenge of ensuring wide uptake of education modules; and the need to take proactive steps to improve multidisciplinary communication. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1706-1713, 2020.

Hospital to home: Improving internal medicine residents' understanding of the needs of older persons after a hospital stay.

Physicians-in-training discharge many older patients from the hospital, but few have any knowledge of what happens to the patients they send home, of how discharge plans are applied, or of the difficulties patients and their families face. The authors describe a pilot program, Hospital to Home, at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry's internal medicine residency program, which uses home visits as an educational tool in geriatrics training. The program was begun in July 2001, and 23 residents have participated. Home visits expose residents in their first-year geriatrics rotation to the elements and outcomes of discharge planning and create a heightened awareness of the needs of older persons recently discharged from the hospital. The home visits are videotaped, and the residents present a videoconference based on the visits, which are attended by internal medicine residents, family medicine residents, and medical students. The authors describe the three-part Hospital to Home program, three vignettes that highlight learning experiences, and the residents' feedback about the experience and the use of audiovisual recording for education.

Epidemiology of fragility fractures.

As the world population of older adults-in particular those over age 85-increases, the incidence of fragility fractures will also increase. It is predicted that the worldwide incidence of hip fractures will grow to 6.3 million yearly by 2050. Fractures result in significant financial and personal costs. Older adults who sustain fractures are at risk for functional decline and mortality, both as a function of fractures and their complications and of the frailty of the patients who sustain fractures. Identifying individuals at high risk provides an opportunity for both primary and secondary prevention.

Principles of comanagement and the geriatric fracture center.

This article describes the principles of comanagement in an optimized geriatric fracture center. This is a collaborative model of care that uses patient-centered, protocol-driven care to standardize the care for most patient fragility fractures. This model also uses shared decision making and frequent communication to improve clinically relevant outcomes. The orthopedic and medical teams are equally responsible from admission to discharge and are responsible for daily evaluation and clinical management of the patient.