Indeed, referring elderly patients to a specialized geriatric unit would probably increase their chances of recovery [ 3].
Thus, advanced age should be given serious consideration when referring elderly patients for any CM-based procedure.
DGIP is a community intervention model for frail elderly persons where the GP refers elderly patients with a problem in cognition, mood, behaviour, mobility, and nutrition.
Logistic regression analysis showed that cancer site and organisational difficulties in patient management were significantly associated with the decision to refer elderly patients with early-stage cancer.
Only one European study has analysed the decision processes leading general practitioners (GPs) to refer elderly patients with cancer to oncologists.
Our results also suggest that when GPs do refer elderly patients for investigation, they are slower to do so than for their middle-aged counterparts.
For advanced stages, oncology training, patient age, organisational difficulties in patient management and stage of cancer were significantly associated with the decision to refer elderly patients.
There was no formal plan, particularly at the community level, to detect and/or refer elderly adults with cataract (white pupil) to an ophthalmologist.
Of course, primary care physicians and cardiologists may also be less likely to refer elderly and chronically ill patients without SEIs to surgeons, for the same reason.
Regardless of the stage of the cancer, organisation difficulties were an independent factor influencing the GP's decision whether or not to refer elderly patients.
