Optimising Medications in Older Vascular Surgery Patients Through Geriatric Co-management.

BACKGROUND: Prescribing of potentially inappropriate medications and under-prescribing of guideline-recommended medications for cardiovascular risk modification have both been associated with negative outcomes in older adults. Hospitalisation represents an important opportunity to optimise medication use and may be achieved through geriatrician-led interventions. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate whether implementation of a novel model of care called Geriatric Comanagement of older Vascular (GeriCO-V) surgery patients is associated with improvements in medication prescribing. METHODS: We used a prospective pre-post study design. The intervention was a geriatric co-management model, where a geriatrician delivered comprehensive geriatric assessment-based interventions including a routine medication review. We included consecutively admitted patients to the vascular surgery unit at a tertiary academic centre aged ≥ 65 years with an expected length of stay of ≥ 2 days and who were discharged from hospital. Outcomes of interest were the prevalence of at least one potentially inappropriate medication as defined by the Beers Criteria at admission and discharge, and rates of cessation of at least one potentially inappropriate medication present on admission. In the subgroup of patients with peripheral arterial disease, the prevalence of guideline-recommended medications on discharge was determined. RESULTS: There were 137 patients in the pre-intervention group (median [interquartile range] age: 80.0 [74.0-85.0] years, 83 [60.6%] with peripheral arterial disease) and 132 patients in the post-intervention group (median [interquartile range] age: 79.0 (73.0-84.0) years, 75 [56.8%] with peripheral arterial disease). There was no change in the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use from admission to discharge in either group (pre-intervention: 74.5% on admission vs 75.2% on discharge; post-intervention: 72.0% vs 72.7%, p = 0.65). Forty-five percent of pre-intervention group patients had at least one potentially inappropriate medication present on admission ceased, compared with 36% of post-intervention group patients (p = 0.11). A higher number of patients with peripheral arterial disease in the post-intervention group were discharged on antiplatelet agent therapy (63 [84.0%] vs 53 [63.9%], p = 0.004) and lipid-lowering therapy (58 [77.3%] vs 55 [66.3%], p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: Geriatric co-management was associated with an improvement in guideline-recommended antiplatelet agent prescribing aimed at cardiovascular risk modification for older vascular surgery patients. The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications was high in this population, and was not reduced with geriatric co-management.

The experience of hospital care for older surgical patients and their carers: A mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVE: A growing proportion of older adults are undergoing surgery, but there is a paucity of patient and carer experience research in this group. This study investigated the experience of hospital care in an older vascular surgery population for patients and their carers. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods convergent design, including simultaneous collection of quantitative and qualitative research strands by combining open-ended questions with rating scales in a questionnaire. Recently hospitalised vascular surgery patients aged ≥65 years at a major teaching hospital were recruited. Carers were also approached to participate. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients (mean age 77 years, 77% male, 20% with a Clinical Frailty Scale score >4) and nine carers participated. The majority of patients reported that their views were listened to (n = 42, 89%), they were kept informed (n = 39, 83%), and were asked about their pain (n = 37, 79%). Among carers, seven reported their views were listened to and that they were kept informed. Thematic analysis of patients' and carers' responses to open-ended questions about their experience of hospital care revealed four themes in terms of what mattered to them: fundamental care including hygiene and nutrition, comfort of the hospital environment such as sleep and meals, being informed and involved in health-care decision-making, and treating pain and deconditioning to help recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults admitted to hospital for vascular surgery and their carers, valued highly the care that met both their fundamental needs and facilitated shared decisions for care and recovery. These priorities can be addressed through Age-Friendly Health System initiatives.

Deprescribing for older people living in residential aged care facilities: Pharmacist recommendations, doctor acceptance and implementation.

BACKGROUND: Deprescribing is an intervention to address the high prevalence of inappropriate polypharmacy in older people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Many deprescribing interventions are complex and involve several stages including initial pharmacist recommendation, subsequent acceptance of the recommendations by a prescriber and the patient, and then actual implementation. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate pharmacist deprescribing recommendations for residents within RACFs, general practitioner (GP) acceptance, and the actual implementation of the accepted recommendations at 12-month. METHODS: The intervention occurred as part of a randomised controlled trial and comprised a pharmacist-led medication review using an evidence-based algorithm, with the focus on identifying medications to potentially deprescribe. Consent to participate was obtained from residents (or surrogate decision-makers), RACF nursing staff and the resident's GP. Deprescribing recommendations were reviewed by GPs before implementation as part of the intervention and control arms of the trial, although control group participants continued to receive their usual medications in a blinded manner. RESULTS: There were 303 participants enrolled in the study, and 77% (941/1222) of deprescribing recommendations suggested by the pharmacists were accepted by GPs. Of the recommendations accepted by GPs, 74% (692/ 941) were successfully implemented at the end of the follow-up visit at 12 months. The most common reason for deprescribing was because medications were no longer needed (42%, 513/ 1231). CONCLUSION: Pharmacist-led deprescribing recommendations arising from an algorithm-based medication review are acceptable to doctors and can have a significant impact on reducing the number of inappropriate medications consumed by older people in RACFs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12613001204730.

Understanding the Role and Value of Process Quality Indicators in Older Vascular Surgery Inpatients.

BACKGROUND: Despite the development of geriatrics surgery process quality indicators (QIs), few studies have reported on these QIs in routine surgical practice. Even less is known about the links between these QIs and clinical outcomes, and patient characteristics. We aimed to measure geriatrics surgery process QIs, and investigate the association between process QIs and outcomes, and QIs and patient characteristics, in hospitalized older vascular surgery patients. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of 150 consecutive patients aged ≥ 65 years admitted to a tertiary vascular surgery unit. Occurrence of geriatrics surgery process QIs as part of routine vascular surgery care was measured. Associations between QIs and high-risk patient characteristics, and QIs and clinical outcomes were assessed using clustered heatmaps. RESULTS: QI occurrence rate varied substantially from 2% to 93%. Some QIs, such as cognition and delirium screening, documented treatment preferences, and geriatrician consultation were infrequent and clustered with high-risk patient characteristcs. There were two major process-outcome clusters: (a) multidisciplinary consultations, communication and screening-based process QIs with multiple adverse outcomes, and (b) documentation and prescribing-related QIs with fewer adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Clustering patterns of process QIs with clinical outcomes are complex, and there is a differential occurrence of QIs by patient characteristics. Prospective intervention studies that report on implemented QIs, outcomes and patient characteristics are needed to better understand the causal pathways between process QIs and outcomes, and to help prioritize targets for quality improvement in the care of older surgical patients.

Geriatric medicine services for older surgical patients in acute hospitals: Results from a binational survey.

OBJECTIVE: To describe perioperative geriatric medicine services in Australia and New Zealand, and to explore geriatricians' views on the need for and challenges in providing perioperative care. METHOD: An electronic questionnaire was sent to heads of geriatric medicine departments. RESULTS: Sixty-seven (83%) of 81 identified geriatric medicine departments responded. Twelve (18%) departments provide a proactive surgical-geriatric medicine service. Their most common features were regular geriatric medicine ward rounds (100%), medication review (92%) and attendance at multidisciplinary meetings (83%). All respondents thought there was a need for geriatric medicine to provide greater input into the care of older surgical patients. Lack of funding (88%) and not enough geriatricians (58%) were the major perceived barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Although geriatricians believe they should provide proactive collaborative care for older surgical patients, only a few hospitals currently provide these services. Funding streams for these services and further research to determine the best models of care are needed.