ThP6.7 - Early assessment by a specalist geriatric team reduces length of stay in unplanned surgical admissions

Abstract

Abstract Intro A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) performed by the Perioperative medicine for Older People undergoing Surgery (POPS) team has been shown to reduce length of stay(LOS) for unplanned hospital admissions in the older population. This study investigates whether timing of POPS review reduces LOS for older adults admitted under the acute general surgical team. Methods We performed a single centre, prospective study of all older adult patients (aged 65 or above) admitted acutely to the general surgical team between August 2022 and September 2023. Timing of POPS review and LOS was calculated, and Mann Whitney-U test was performed. Results Three hundred and nine patients were identified. Of these, 207 patients were reviewed by POPS within 48 hours (early) and 151 of these patients were reviewed within 24 hours (very early) of admission. There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in LOS between those who were assessed by POPS within 48 hours [Median 5 days (IQR 3,9)] versus those beyond 48 hours [Median 9 days (IQR 6,19)]. Very early POPS review (less than 24 hours) resulted in a statistically significant reduction in length of stay compared to POPS review between 24 and 48 hours [Median 5 days (IQR 2,8) versus 6 days (IQR3,9)] p<0.02. Conclusions POPS review within 48 hours reduces length of stay for older patients who have had an acute general surgical admission. Furthermore, this data suggests that very early POPS review (within 24 hours) is associated with a shorter hospital admission. Further research into this will help service planning.