Practices in arm 2 (controls) did not receive summaries or lists of recommendations, but oncologists were notified if patients had clinically significant depression or cognitive impairment.
In the intervention group, patients completed all assessments within 30 minutes, and less than 10 minutes of practice staff time was required for administration of objective tests.
The investigators made audio recordings and transcripts of clinic visits after GA in both arms, with two blinded coders evaluating quality of communication and plans for follow-up interventions. Patients were surveyed by telephone about their satisfaction, via the Health Care Climate Questionnaire (HCCQ) and the same instrument modified for age-related concerns (HCCQ-age).
“We found that patients enrolled in the study had a high prevalence of impairments of Geriatric Assessment domains, ranging from over 90% for physical performance, to 25% for psychological status, mainly depression. Of note, more than 30% of patients ... screened positive for cognitive impairment.” Dr. Mohile said.