Use of comprehensive geriatric assessment techniques by community physicians

Research has shown that comprehensive assessment techniques have several clinical benefits for geriatric patients. The purpose of this study was to determine how frequently community practitioners used comprehensive geriatric assessment techniques to identify factors related to use of those techniques.

The study group included 54% of the 100 community-based family physician preceptors who participate in the University of Mississippi's family medicine training programs. On-site interviews were conducted in each physician's office to measure the percentage of physicians who performed comprehensive geriatric assessment.

The majority of physicians employed some selected age-related assessment techniques, but less than 25% performed functional assessment techniques considered unique to the geriatric patient, such as mental status assessment and evaluation of activities of daily living. Most physicians' personal and practice characteristics were unrelated to the use of assessment techniques.

Although many physicians use some techniques of geriatric assessment, most practicing physicians do not perform comprehensive assessment of geriatric patients.