Summary
| What is known? |
| Postoperative outcomes worsen with increasing age. Services using comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) methodology throughout the perioperative pathway demonstrate improvement in postoperative outcomes. Despite clear standards of care recommending assessment by a geriatrician in high-risk surgical groups, implementation of geriatric medicine services in routine surgical care (other than hip fracture) remains limited. |
| What is the question? |
| Is it possible to effectively and sustainably translate an established model of geriatrician-led perioperative care (perioperative medicine for older people undergoing Surgery (POPS)) from a tertiary centre to a district general hospital setting? |
| What was found? |
| A sustainable and substantively funded POPS service was established at a district general hospital. Within 18 months the service demonstrated reduction in length of stay and readmission rate, and improvement in patient- and staff-related outcomes. |
| What is the implication for practice now? |
| Quality improvement methodology should be used to facilitate the wider systematic scale-up of sustainable POPS services. |