Geriatric Trauma Service: to Consult or Not to Consult?

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose of Review: This review focuses on the application of geriatric expertise to care for traumatically injured patients through the use of geriatrician consultation versus a surgeon-led geriatric trauma service (GTS). We offer guidance on elements needed to establish an effective geriatric trauma service. Recent Findings: Geriatrics expertise, through consultation, can have a positive effect on several important outcomes in the elderly injured. Several groups have published on recent successes with surgeon-led geriatric trauma services. Surgeon-led geriatric trauma services have shown improvements in discharge disposition and hospital length of stay and trends toward improved mortality. Regardless of approach, geriatrics experience and expertise as well as focused and intentional deployment of important resources appears to improve outcomes in geriatric trauma. Summary: Care for the elderly injured can be significantly improved by incorporating expertise in geriatrics. This can be accomplished by consultation of a geriatrician; however, consolidation of these patients onto a dedicated surgeon-led geriatric trauma service with dedicated hospital resources may be more effective.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)15-23
Number of pages9
JournalCurrent Trauma Reports
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2021

Keywords

  • Elderly injured
  • GTS
  • Geriatric trauma
  • Geriatric trauma service
  • Geriatric traumatology
  • Trauma surgery

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