Effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment in elderly patients with coronary heart disease

Background: Hospitalization has been widely accepted for elderly patients with acute or chronic disease. However, hospitalization is also thought to be a risk factor for delirium in hospitalized elderly patients The aim of this study is to assess the efficiency of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) nursing strategy for elderly patients with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) during hospitalization. Methods: A total number of 140 elderly CHD patients aged 60 y and above were included in this study, and they were divided into two groups, the CGA treatment group (subjected to CGA nursing strategy) and the control group (subjected to conventional nursing strategy of Cardiology Department). The patient's life quality and coping strategy were assessed with Chinese questionnaire of quality of life in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CQQC) and medical coping modes questionnaire (MCMQ) respectively. Besides, the degree of satisfaction, hospital days and costs were also compared between the two groups. Results: The total CQQC scores were higher in CGA group (42.36 ± 9.58) than that of control group (25.97 ± 5.38, P<0.05) with significant difference. Patients in the CGA group tended to choose confrontational coping strategy than that of control. MCMQ suggested that patients in the CGA group were more satisfied with the treatment and caring. Also, patients in CGA group suffered from less hospital days and costs than control group. Conclusion: The CGA is effective to evaluate the clinical, psychological and functional aspects in elderly CHD patients.