Geriatric assessment  was most often completed to describe a patient 's health and functional status .
Geriatric assessment  in the oncology setting is feasible , and some domains are associated with adverse outcomes .
However , there is limited evidence that geriatric assessment impacted treatment decision making .
BACKGROUND Geriatric assessment is a multidisciplinary diagnostic process that evaluates the older adult 's medical , psychological , social , and functional capacity .
No systematic review of the use of geriatric assessment in oncology has been conducted .
The goals of this systematic review were : 1 ) to provide an overview of all geriatric assessment instruments used in the oncology setting ; 2 ) to examine the feasibility and psychometric properties of those instruments ; and 3 ) to systematic ally evaluate the effectiveness of geriatric assessment in predicting or modifying outcomes ( including the impact on treatment decision making , toxicity of treatment , and mortality ) .
Predicting falls in older patients using components of a comprehensive geriatric assessment
This prospect i ve study evaluated components of a comprehensive geriatric assessment ( CGA ) to identify rates and predictors of falls in older patients . Fall rates and scores on components of the CGA were compared among adults aged 70 or older in three groups : patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy , patients with cancer not receiving chemotherapy , and community-dwelling adults without cancer . Older adults in the chemotherapy group were hypothesized to fall significantly more often than those in the nonchemotherapy group . Among the patients with cancer , scores on the Activities of Daily Living Scale were a significant predictor of falls . The scores were the only domain of the CGA found to be a significant predictor ; therefore , more research is needed to better underst and fall risk assessment among older patients with cancer . Nurses should conduct fall risk assessment s with measures of functional status as included in a CGA
Geriatric assessment  was most often completed to describe a patient 's health and functional status .
Geriatric assessment  in the oncology setting is feasible , and some domains are associated with adverse outcomes .
However , there is limited evidence that geriatric assessment impacted treatment decision making .
BACKGROUND Geriatric assessment is a multidisciplinary diagnostic process that evaluates the older adult 's medical , psychological , social , and functional capacity .
No systematic review of the use of geriatric assessment in oncology has been conducted .
The goals of this systematic review were : 1 ) to provide an overview of all geriatric assessment instruments used in the oncology setting ; 2 ) to examine the feasibility and psychometric properties of those instruments ; and 3 ) to systematic ally evaluate the effectiveness of geriatric assessment in predicting or modifying outcomes ( including the impact on treatment decision making , toxicity of treatment , and mortality ) .