Peri-operative care of Older People undergoing Surgery (POPS) Special Interest Group (SIG)

Older surgical patients present geriatricians with challenges. 

Questions such as “how should geriatric medicine fit into the national agenda for perioperative medicine?” and “which models of care work best in improving outcomes for this complex multimorbid group of patients?” are issues that the POPS Special Interest Group explores through sessions at national conferences and sharing examples of best practice. 

The POPs SIG is a network of like-minded colleagues which disseminates new ideas and research. We run an annual sellout conference alongside developing Good Practice Guides to which support our colleagues around the UK. 

Some of the topics we have explored at our conference include:

• Setting up and evaluation of a proactive comprehensive multidisciplinary service for older adults admitted as an emergency under general surgery
• How we might approach the workforce challenges we face; and
• How we can ensure collaborative working between surgeons, anaesthetists and physicians to improve quality and outcomes for older surgical patients.

Our objectives are to:

• Improve knowledge of issues related to peri-operative care for older people undergoing both emergency and elective surgery
• Provide a forum for education and training in peri-operative medicine for medical and allied health care professionals
• Facilitate national dissemination of effective models of service delivery and work towards standardisation of clinical care for older surgical patients
• Facilitate collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the care of older surgical patients (across elderly medicine, anaesthesia, surgery, allied health care professionals and the voluntary sector)
• Promote collaborative research across units, disciplines and specialties aiming to improve outcomes for older surgical patients.