Frailty screening tied to improved postop outcomes

Editor's Note

Implementation of a frailty screening initiative for preoperative patients was associated with reduced mortality, this study finds.

In 9,153 patients screened, postoperative mortality decreased significantly at 30, 180, and 365 days, and improvements were noted in both frail and nonfrail patients. Multivariate analysis showed a three-fold survival benefit for patients who were screened preoperatively for frailty.

The study builds a platform for further investigation into the causes behind improved survival after preoperative frailty screening in surgical patients, the authors say.

Question Can surgical outcomes of frail patients be improved by facility-wide frailty screening and subsequent administrative review of perioperative surgical decision making? Findings After implementing a quality improvement project called the Frailty Screening Initiative in a prospective cohort of 9153 patients who underwent surgery, postoperative mortality decreased significantly at 30, 180, and 365 days.