• Mercy Jimenez, Omid Salehi, Ponnandai Somasundar, Jayme Dandeneau, Joanna Chebl, Lidia Vognar, N Joseph Espat, Abdul Saied Calvino, and Steve Kwon.
• Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Roger Williams Medical Center. Providence, RI.
• J. Am. Coll. Surg. 2024 Dec 10.

BackgroundPatients older than 65 years have unique needs and treatment outcomes goals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) initiative in oncology patients ≥65 years undergoing major abdominal surgeries.Study DesignWe implemented the American College of Surgeons' GSV program protocols for patients 65 and older starting in 2022. A retrospective review was conducted of patients undergoing major abdominal oncologic surgeries from January 2021 through December 2022 to create pre-GSV and post-GSV initiative cohorts. Main outcomes variables were postoperative institutionalization and change in the patient's primary residence disposition (measured as primary residence score, PRS, as a proxy for loss of independence).Results57 patients in the control group and 43 patients in the intervention group met inclusion criteria. The average age was 76.5 and 75 years, respectively. Patients were well matched for clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. The intervention group had a shorter mean length of stay (LOS) 4.4 ± 2.5 days vs 6.5 ± 3.6 days in control group (p<.01) and were less likely to be newly discharged to an institution (7.3% vs 24.1%, p=0.03). The GSV initiative was associated with 72% lower odds of increased PRS (i.e. care needs) at time of discharge (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.1 - 0.81).ConclusionThe GSV initiative intervention in geriatric oncology patients undergoing major abdominal surgeries was associated with reducing postoperative institutionalization and change in primary residence disposition. Further studies to explore different mechanisms within GSV that lead to improved outcomes in geriatric oncologic population will be informative.Copyright © 2024 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

11 keywords...

hide…