Geriatric medicine services for older surgical patients in acute hospitals: Results from a binational survey

OBJECTIVE: To describe perioperative geriatric medicine services in Australia and New Zealand, and to explore geriatricians' views on the need for and challenges in providing perioperative care. METHOD: An electronic questionnaire was sent to heads of geriatric medicine departments. RESULTS: Sixty-seven (83%) of 81 identified geriatric medicine departments responded. Twelve (18%) departments provide a proactive surgical-geriatric medicine service. Their most common features were regular geriatric medicine ward rounds (100%), medication review (92%) and attendance at multidisciplinary meetings (83%). All respondents thought there was a need for geriatric medicine to provide greater input into the care of older surgical patients. Lack of funding (88%) and not enough geriatricians (58%) were the major perceived barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Although geriatricians believe they should provide proactive collaborative care for older surgical patients, only a few hospitals currently provide these services. Funding streams for these services and further research to determine the best models of care are needed.