Out of sight, out of mind? Does terminating the physical presence of a geriatric consultant in the community clinic reduce the implementation rate for geriatric recommendations

Aim: To assess the effect of moving the geriatric consultation from the primary care clinic to another setting, on the rate of implementation of geriatric recommendations by family physicians. Methods: A retrospective review of the computerized medical records of elderly patients in four primary care clinics. The rate of implementation of geriatric recommendations was compared between clinics in which a geriatric consultant was physically present (control clinics) and a clinic where the consultation took place elsewhere (study clinic). In addition, the results of the present study were compared to a previous study in which the geriatric consultation was carried out in the study clinic and the family doctor was an active participant. Results: 127 computerized files were reviewed in the study clinic and 133 in the control clinics. The mean age of the patients was 81.1 ± 6.3 years and 63.1% were women. The overall implementation of geriatric recommendations by family doctors in the study clinic was 55.9%, a statistically significant decrease compared to the previous study where the rate was 73.9% (p < 0.0001). In contrast, there was no change in the implementation rate in the control clinics at 65.0% in the present study and 59.9% in the previous one (p = 0.205). Conclusions: Direct, person-to-person contact between the geriatric consultant and the family doctor has a beneficial effect on the implementation of geriatric recommendations. This should be considered by healthcare policy makers when planning geriatric services in the community.