• April L Ehrlich, Oluwafemi P Owodunni, Joshua C Mostales, Caroline Xu Qin, Priyanka J Hadvani, Luxey Sirisegaram, Dianne Bettick, and Susan L Gearhart.
• Division of Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
• Ann. Surg. 2023 Jun 1; 277 (6): e1254e1261e1254-e1261.

ObjectiveTo examine geriatric-specific outcomes following implementation of a multispecialty geriatric surgical pathway (GSP).BackgroundIn 2018, we implemented a GSP in accordance with the proposed 32 standards of American College of Surgeons' Geriatric Surgery Verification Program.MethodsThis observational study combined data from the electronic health record system (EHR) and ACS-National Surgery Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) to identify patients ≥65 years undergoing inpatient procedures from 2016 to 2020. GSP patients (2018-2020) were identified by preoperative high-risk screening. Frailty was measured with the modified frailty index. Surgical procedures were ranked according to the operative stress score (1-5). Loss of independence (LOI), length of stay, major complications (CD II-IV), and 30-day all-cause unplanned readmissions were measured in the pre/postpatient populations and by propensity score matching of patients by operative procedure and frailty.ResultsA total of 533 (300 pre-GSP, 233 GSP) patients similar by demographics (age and race) and clinical profile (frailty) were included. On multivariable analysis, GSP patients showed decreased risk for LOI [odds ratio (OR) 0.26 (0.23, 0.29) P <0.001] and major complications [OR: 0.63 (0.50, 0.78) P <0.001]. Propensity matching demonstrated similar findings. Examining frail patients alone, GSP showed decreased risk for LOI [OR: 0.30 (0.25, 0.37) P <0.001], major complications [OR: 0.31 (0.24, 0.40) P <0.001], and was independently associated with a reduction in length of stay [incidence rate ratios: 0.97 (0.96, 0.98), P <0.001].ConclusionsIn our diverse patient population, implementation of a GSP led to improved geriatric-specific surgical outcomes. Future studies to examine pathway compliance would promote the identification of further interventions.Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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