Geriatric Trauma Screening Tool: Preinjury Functional Status Dictates Intensive Care Unit Discharge Disposition

Abstract

Older adults account for an increasing percentage of trauma patients and have worse outcomes when compared with younger populations. Simple prediction tools are needed to designate risk categories among these patients. The Geriatric Trauma Screening Tool (GTST) was developed to risk stratify older adults admitted to the ICU at a Level 1 trauma center. One hundred fifty patients aged ≥ 65 years were prospectively screened for high-risk (HR) injuries, comorbidities, and prehospital function using the GTST. Patients who screened for HR were more likely to have an unfavorable disposition than non-HR patients. HR patients had significantly longer ICU and hospital length of stays when compared with non-HR patients. In addition, patients with prior functional impairment were at higher risk for an unfavorable discharge disposition than their counterparts. Implementation of the GTST predicted discharge disposition in geriatric trauma patients admitted to the ICU. Pre-injury functional status was a better predictor of discharge disposition than either the types of HR injuries or the presence of comorbidities. Risk stratification of geriatric trauma patients allows for early engagement of patients and caregivers regarding transitions of care as well as more efficient utilization of hospital resources.