Geriatric Assessment Flashcards
7 cards from real AMC CLINICAL practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Geriatric Assessment flashcards as text
A 76-year-old woman reports involuntary urine leakage whenever she coughs, sneezes, or exercises. Which type of urinary incontinence does this presentation describe?
Answer: Stress incontinence
Stress incontinence is characterised by involuntary urine leakage during activities that raise intra-abdominal pressure, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or physical exertion, due to urethral sphincter insufficiency.
Using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), which score threshold indicates probable depression requiring further clinical assessment?
Answer: Score ≥ 5
A GDS-15 score of 5 or more indicates probable depression warranting further assessment and clinical intervention, while a score of 0–4 is considered within the normal range for older adults.
Which validated risk assessment tool is most widely used in Australian hospitals to determine pressure injury risk in elderly inpatients?
Answer: Braden Scale
The Braden Scale is the most widely used and validated pressure injury risk assessment tool in Australian hospitals, assessing six domains: sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and friction/shear.
An 81-year-old woman presents with multiple unexplained bruises and appears frightened of her adult son who accompanies her. You suspect elder abuse. What is the most appropriate immediate action?
Answer: Interview the patient privately and assess her safety and wishes
The immediate priority is to create a safe, private environment to interview the patient alone, assessing her safety, mental capacity, and wishes before determining further action in accordance with her autonomy.
An 85-year-old frail woman is being discharged after hip arthroplasty. Which element of the discharge plan has the strongest evidence for preventing early hospital readmission?
Answer: Coordinated transitional care including medication reconciliation, timely follow-up, and carer education
Coordinated transitional care programmes that integrate medication reconciliation, timely follow-up, and structured patient and carer education have the strongest evidence for reducing 30-day readmission rates in frail older adults.
What is the primary purpose of advance care planning (ACP) for older Australians?
Answer: To document a person's values, goals, and preferences to guide future healthcare if they lose decision-making capacity
Advance care planning enables individuals to document their healthcare values, goals, and preferences while competent, ensuring these guide treatment decisions if they later lose capacity, without automatically restricting any specific intervention.
A family requests that their 88-year-old mother with severe dementia be resuscitated in all circumstances, contrary to her valid advance care directive requesting comfort measures only. What is the most appropriate course of action?
Answer: Honour the patient's advance care directive as it represents her autonomous decision when competent
A valid advance care directive represents the patient's autonomous decision-making when they had capacity and takes legal precedence over family preferences in Australian law, unless there is evidence of duress or materially changed circumstances.