[General practitioners' satisfaction after a geriatric assessment into primary care: data from FAP study]

Area of Science:

• Geriatrics
• Primary Care Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Demographic shifts necessitate primary care adaptation to concepts like frailty and early cognitive impairment detection.
• The Frailty and Alzheimer's disease prevention (FAP) project implemented geriatric evaluations by nurses in primary care settings.
• Assessing older patients' needs is crucial for proactive healthcare management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the opinions of general practitioners (GPs) participating in the FAP project.
• To understand the perceived benefits and challenges of integrating geriatric evaluations into primary care.
• To gauge the impact of the FAP project on GPs' knowledge of frailty and cognitive impairment.

Main Methods:

• An observational, descriptive study was conducted in the Occitanie region.
• Twenty-six general practitioners (GPs) were involved in the FAP project.
• Data was collected through an online survey administered to the participating GPs.

Main Results:

• GPs believed most patients would forgo hospital evaluations in favor of primary care geriatric assessments.
• A significant majority (92%) of GPs reported positive opinions on detecting unidentified health issues and improving patient care.
• 73% of GPs felt their knowledge of frailty syndrome and cognitive impairment improved post-evaluation, though 42% found care plan creation challenging.

Conclusions:

• GP feedback on the FAP project was highly positive and indicates future potential.
• The geriatric evaluation model in primary care shows promise for broader implementation.
• Further development and expansion of this geriatric evaluation into new regions are warranted.