Comprehensive geriatric assessment: recognition of identified geriatric conditions by community-dwelling older persons.
to study (i) the prevalence of geriatric conditions in community-dwelling older persons at increased risk of functional decline and (ii) the extent to which older persons recognise comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA)-identified conditions as relevant problems.



trained registered nurses conducted a CGA in 934 out of 1209 older persons at increased risk of functional decline participating in the intervention arm of a randomised trial in the Netherlands. After screening for 32 geriatric conditions, participants were asked which of the identified geriatric conditions they recognised as relevant problems.



at baseline, the median age of participants was 82.9 years (interquartile range (IQR) 77.3-87.3 years). The median number of identified geriatric conditions per participant was 8 (IQR 6-11). The median number of geriatric conditions that were recognised was 1 (IQR 0-2). Functional dependency and (increased risk of) alcohol and drug dependency were the most commonly identified conditions. Pain was the most widely recognised problem.



CGA identified many geriatric conditions, of which few were recognised as a problem by the person involved. Further study is needed to better understand how older persons interact with identified geriatric conditions, in terms of perceived relevance. This may yield a more efficient CGA and further improve a patient-centred approach.
Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Marjon
M
van Rijn
Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jacqueline J
JJ
Suijker
Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Wietske
W
Bol
Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Eva
E
Hoff
Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Gerben
G
Ter Riet
Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|University Center for Geriatric Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Sophia E
SE
de Rooij
Department of General Practice, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Eric P
EP
Moll van Charante
Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|ACHIEVE Centre of Expertise, Faculty of Health, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Bianca M
BM
Buurman
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology
comprehensive geriatric assessment; older persons; patient-centred care; recognition; shared decision making