Health policy research: Brief geriatric assessments (BGAs) for older persons in community settings

Age Well SG strand: Strengthen support for seniors with care needs in the community

Lead Organisation: Health Policy Research Group, GERI

Gap: Comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGAs) – the cornerstone of high-quality care for older adults – are resource-intensive. Shorter forms of assessment, such as BGAs, may be useful as an alternative to CGAs in primary and community care settings. However, there is a current lack of consensus on the target population, essential domains, and implementability of BGAs in community and primary care settings in Singapore.

Solution: This study identified BGA tools that have been evaluated or implemented in primary and community care settings, obtained local consensus from clinical experts on the key assessment domains and the role of BGAs, and identified implementation considerations from health, social and policy stakeholders to understand the feasibility for implementation. Evidence was triangulated from three study phases to produce a Policy Brief for the Ministry of Health, Singapore (MOH): from a scoping review, a modified Delphi study, and qualitative findings from stakeholder dialogues.

Anticipated Impact: This project can inform policy and practice around implementing BGAs in community and primary care settings. It has generated discussion about the similarities and differences between the World Health Organization Integrated Care for Older People framework (Step 1) and the Community Screener Tool.

Duration: Oct 2023 to Nov 2024