Physician resource utilization after geriatric trauma.

Objective: As health care resources become increasingly strained, the value of physician consultation has come under heightened scrutiny. This report reviews the value of early consultation by the physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) service to an integrated trauma service for geriatric patients with multiple trauma.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 110 geriatric trauma patients (age > 60 years) with an Injury Severity Score > or = 15 to evaluate the effects of PMR consultation. Patients in group 1 were admitted to a general surgical service, and those in group 2 were admitted to a multidisciplinary trauma service. Demographic and physiologic factors, as well as short-term and long-term outcomes, were evaluated, and a subgroup analysis was performed to compare early (< or =3 days) versus late (>3 days) consultation by PMR.

Results: Although there were significant differences in Glasgow Coma Scale score and length of stay, no differences were found within groups in other demographic, physiologic, or outcome data. Focused review of PMR intervention based on early versus late consultation revealed no significant difference between the two groups. Furthermore, an after-discharge phone survey revealed no significant group differences in dependence on a care provider or nursing home placement, readmission to hospital, employment status, or current functional activity status.

Conclusions: Long-term patient functional outcome and the in-house rehabilitation process are not affected by integration of PMR into a multidisciplinary trauma team or early PMR consultation.