2-Day Virtual Course: Geriatrics for Surgical Clinicians
Day 1: Thursday, March 14, 2024 | 11AM – 4PM ET
Day 2: Friday, March 15, 2024 | 11AM – 4:40PM ET
Course Description
This course will provide in-depth training for Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), surgical trainees, nurses, and surgical attendings on geriatric syndromes and the 5 pillars of Age-Friendly care (Medication, Mobility, what Matters, Mentation and Multicomplexity). Speakers will address the unique needs of the growing geriatric patient population and how to navigate hazards of hospitalization such as delirium, falls, infections, loss of function, and caregiver strain to improve outcomes. These issues are particularly relevant in surgery and trauma where mortality, complications, and other adverse outcomes are consistently higher for older patients than their younger counterparts.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
- Describe the 5 Ms (Medication, Mobility, what Matters, Mentation, and Multicomplexity) of caring for older surgical patients.
- Complete an assessment for delirium, initiate work-up for precipitating factors, treat underlying causes, and develop a safe care plan.
- Recognize risk factors for falls and fractures and create a plan for optimizing mobility.
- Complete a full medication reconciliation and identify medications that are potentially inappropriate.
- Summarize how to coordinate a safe and effective care transition for older patients, caregivers, and families.
- Assess what matters most to older patients and apply these priorities into surgical planning.
- Associate geriatric syndromes such as frailty and dementia with adverse postoperative outcomes.
Target Audience
This activity is intended for surgical clinicians, nurses, and physican assistants internal and external to the Mass General Brigham system.
Course Directors
Zara Cooper, MD, MSc
- Michele and Howard J. Kessler Distinguished Chair of Surgery and Public Health
- Kessler Director, Center for Surgery and Public Health
- Director, Center for Geriatric Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
- CSPH Profile
Rachelle Bernacki, MD, MS
- Director of Quality Initiatives, Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
- Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Julia Loewenthal, MD
- Geriatrician, Division of Aging, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Andrea Wershof Schwartz, MD, MPH
- Geriatrician, Division of Aging, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Associate Director, New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Boston Healthcare System
- Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
