Abstract
Comprehensive and multidimensional assessment and intervention performed by an interdisciplinary geriatric team is the most efficient and effective method to deliver care to frail older people with complex medical conditions and care requirements that cannot be addressed by a single health professional.
Geriatric teams are established in different clinical settings such as acute geriatric units, outpatient geriatric clinic, in-hospital mobile teams, primary care facilities, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes and others.
Geriatric teams are cost-effective, improving diagnostic precision, functionality and patient and caregiver satisfaction, and reducing mortality, hospitalization and institutionalization. Geriatric interdisciplinary care must be the standard of care for frail older people, but also non-frail older people may benefit. Geriatric teams may smooth fragmentation of care and transitions of care, improving quality of care.
Outstanding benefits of geriatric teams should support their dissemination across different settings of care attending older people.
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Duque, S. (2018). The Geriatric Team. In: Roller-Wirnsberger, R., Singler, K., Polidori, M. (eds) Learning Geriatric Medicine. Practical Issues in Geriatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61997-2_27
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61997-2_27
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