Geriatric Perioperative Service

Based at Fremantle Hospital, this service provides assessment of older adult patients to:

• optimise medical, physical, and psychological health before surgery
• prevent postoperative complications.

The service supports all surgical specialties, including:

• orthopaedics
• vascular
• gastrointestinal
• urology
• cardiothoracic.

The assessment process

A patient’s first clinic assessment will take up to one and half hours, with follow-up appointments lasting approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

A clinic nurse will take the patient’s medical history with medication list and perform the following:

• a cognitive test
• malnutrition and falls risk screening questions
• geriatric depression scale
• height, weight, blood pressure measurements
• a bladder scan.

Following this assessment, a geriatrician (a doctor who specialises in caring for older people) will undertake a comprehensive geriatric assessment involving a detailed history and physical examination.

During this assessment, the following may be recommended:

• changing the patient’s medication
• further treatments
• other investigative tests before surgery.

Follow-up reviews may include a return clinic appointment or with the patient’s GP.

The service also reviews patients after surgery for complications requiring comprehensive geriatric assessment.

Refer a patient

Contact us

Geriatric Perioperative Service

Phone: 9431 3659
Fax: 9431 3666 

Location

Comprehensive Care Centre (Ward F4)
F Block, Fremantle Hospital, Alma St, Fremantle – see the Fremantle Hospital map (PDF 675KB)

Hours of operation

12.30pm to 4.30pm, Tuesday