[Pilot experience with the use of an ambulatory geriatric assessment instrument].
BACKGROUND
Ten percent of the Chilean population is over 60 years old and general practitioners need an instrument to assess the degree of disability and multiple ailments of elders.


OBJECTIVE
To develop and use an instrument to assess elders consulting in primary care outpatient clinics.


METHODS
An instrument to be used by general practitioners, aimed to assess bio-psico-social risk of elders was devised by the Geriatrics Program at the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Chile. The instrument was used in 100 elders (82 female) aged 71 +/- 8 years old consulting in a primary care outpatient clinic.


RESULTS
The instrument took less than 5 minutes to be used. The most frequent risk factors found were living alone in 62% of subjects, falls in the last year in 47%, memory disturbances in 62%, overweight in 76%, visual impairment in 76%, urinary incontinence in 26% and depression in 76%. Thirty percent had difficulties to climb stairs and 4% had no support in case of severe disability.


CONCLUSIONS
The applied instrument is fast to apply, easily understood by patients and detects problems associated with old age, that will help to plan primary care health programs.
Marín
P P
PP
Departamento de Medicina Interna, Facultad de Medicina, P Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago de Chile.
Valenzuela
E
E
Saito
N K
NK
Castro
S
S
Hoyl
T
T
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Experiencia piloto en el uso de una ficha de evaluación geriátrica ambulatoria.