[Selection of patients for geriatric treatment--a quality assurance project]

Numerous patients admitted to acute hospitals for emergency treatment are elderly, 75 years and above. These patients often have multiple diseases and severe functional limitations and disabilities. Trials have shown that geriatric assessment programmes carried out in hospital settings improve the prognosis of survival, and can prevent or postpone functional decline. However, correct selection of patients is necessary in order to succeed. The aim of this development project was to describe how a geriatric team could screen hospital in-patients for geriatric treatment. The characteristics of 102 patients selected for geriatric treatment were compared to the criteria for a geriatric patient as defined by Laake. There was a high level of agreement between the global clinical assessment made by the geriatric team and Laake's criteria.