Geriatrics Surgery Verification (GSV) Phase III: Age-Friendly Surgery, A Delirium-Focused Entry to GSV

Grant Summary

This grant will improve surgical care of older adults by expanding hospital participation in the Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) program through a new Age-Friendly Surgery level focused on addressing postoperative delirium. Recognizing that delirium is a common and serious complication in older surgical patients, this new level is being designed to accommodate hospitals of all sizes and resource levels. The goal is to enable these hospitals to establish an age-friendly infrastructure that improves the quality of care for older patients. This level will introduce a targeted set of standards that hospitals can implement to lay the groundwork for comprehensive delirium management. To support this effort, a detailed protocol will be developed, providing clear, actionable steps for surgical teams to follow to better prevent, recognize, and treat delirium, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for older adults. Integration with other American College of Surgeons quality programs will be pursued and educational resources will align with the Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms Framework.

Related Grant Resources

• ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification Program
• Journal of the American College of Surgeons Paper: Hospital Variation in Postoperative Delirium Screening and Outcomes in Older Adult Surgical Patients - A National Analysis of Geriatric and Non-Geriatric Surgery Verification Hospitals
• Journal of the American College of Surgeons Paper: Scoping Review for the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program Perioperative Older Adult Enhanced Recovery Program
• Journal of the American College of Surgeons Paper: Discharge to Post-Acute Care as a Benchmarking Metric for Elderly Surgical Patients
• Previous Phase: Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Phase II: Evaluation and Improvement