[Geriatric assessment in family practice--results of concerted action by 7 European countries]

Abstract

General practitioners are faced with the complex medical care of an increasing number of older people. Traditional demand led care is not able to provide optimal management for this age group, since it has been shown that many important health problems remain unknown or not optimally treated. Preventive geriatric assessment offers primary health care providers new opportunities to focus their management on the particular health problems of older people. A European concerted action involving seven countries formed to develop a "standard assessment for elderly people in primary care (STEP)". The aim was threefold: 1) to identify important and preventable health problems in old age, 2) to supply health care planners and providers with scientific evidence of the corresponding preventive procedures, and 3) to initiate a practical assessment framework for use in European primary care practices. Using a strict methodological protocol, 33 health problems were identified that potentially improve health outcomes in preventive programs for older people. A summary of the evidence is given for each of the included health areas. Taking the best available evidence, patients' preferences, and practice conditions into account, a preventive assessment program was developed containing validated and accepted instruments. The approach is algorithmic with a simple problem identification level and a further diagnostic stage. All recommended procedures are harmonized for common European use. An evidence-based preventive assessment program is expected not only to prevent disease and minimize disability and handicap, but it also offers health care planners a European data set of older peoples' needs for optimized resource allocation.