A scoping review of hospital-based geriatric-centered interventions on trauma surgery services

Millions of older adults (≥65) present to emergency departments for injury annually. As the population increases, so will the number of older adults admitted for trauma. Although treatment guidelines for older adults who sustain trauma exist, the evidence for quality improvement is limited. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify hospital-based geriatric-centered interventions that improve care for older adults admitted to trauma services.

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL to identify studies related to geriatric-centered interventions on trauma surgery services (1993-2023). Five reviewers screened studies for full-text review based on these inclusion criteria: (1) older injured adults and/or their caregivers; (2) hospital-based clinical interventions directed to geriatric trauma patients (e.g., frailty assessments, geriatric co-management, triage criteria); and (3) measuring outcomes associated with geriatric trauma. We used the Donabedian quality improvement framework to categorize interventions as structures or processes.

Of 2243 abstracts, 66 studies met the criteria for full-text review, and 47 were included in the analysis. Most (64%) were single-site retrospective cohort studies at Level 1 trauma centers. The most frequent interventions (not mutually exclusive) included geriatric-centered teams (26%), geriatric consultation (23%), interdisciplinary rounds (17%), and medication review (11%). The most frequently measured clinical outcomes were length of stay (47%), discharge location (26%), and in-hospital mortality (21%). Two studies (4%) measured outcomes beyond 3 months. Patient-reported outcomes were rarely included (4%), and caregiver-specific outcomes were not measured.

This scoping review demonstrates the variability in the types of geriatric-centered interventions on trauma surgery services and their associated outcome measures. Furthermore, this review highlights evidence gaps in existing long-term, post-discharge outcomes and patient-/caregiver-reported outcomes. Given the increasing demand for high-quality geriatric trauma care, our findings emphasize the need for evidence-based national standards for geriatric trauma care and targeted study of outcomes germane to older adults and their caregivers.