ACS Educational Resources: Diagnostic Excellence of Dementia and Cognitive Impairment in the Surgical Setting
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has announced that it has released comprehensive educational resources focused on the accurate, consistent diagnosis and appropriate treatment of dementia and cognitive impairment for the purpose of promoting patient safety, equitable care, and decreased hospital resource use.
In 2022, ACS was the recipient of a grant from the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), jointly funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and JAHF, to develop comprehensive educational Geriatric Surgery Verification resources to improve surgical care and outcomes for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias who are undergoing surgery. The resulting ACS resources are:
- Cognitive Impairment Screening - ACS House of Surgery Podcast
This episode features a multidisciplinary panel of experts discussing the importance of preoperative detection of cognitive impairment and dementia in the geriatric population. - Patient and Caregiver Brochure
This brochure for patients and caregivers covers what to expect when having surgery and includes shared decision-making and treatment choice options based on conditions and surgical needs of patients. - ACS Bulletin Article: Cognitive Screening in Older Patients May Help Optimize Outcomes
Among older surgical patients, cognitive impairment prior to surgery is prevalent and substantially increases the risk of costly and serious postoperative complications and further cognitive decline. This neurocognitive dysfunction introduces crucial factors into the surgical decision-making process and perioperative care planning, which has a wide-ranging impact on surgeons, patients, caregivers, and other members of the healthcare team. - Toolkit
Designed for interdisciplinary teams caring for older adults undergoing surgery, this best-practice toolkit covers why preoperative cognitive assessments are important, how to talk to patients about screening cognition, a detailed overview of some varying validated screening tools currently available, and next steps section for when patients screen positive. - The Impact of Cognitive Impairment on Surgical Decision-Making and the Care Process
Held at the 2023 ACS Quality & Safety Conference, this session featured a panel of experts discussing varying levels of dementia and the importance of screening for cognition in the preoperative setting, processes that can help a physician and patient move beyond passive informed consent to a more collaborative, patient-centered experience, and the pearls and pitfalls of advanced directives.
Go to ACS's resources.
Read the press release on the initial 2022 grant.
Go to the ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification Program.
Learn more about JAHF's support of ACS.
