Our Research
Our Research
Surgical Outcomes
Surgical Outcomes in Older Adults The research of Emily Finlayson, M.D., M.S., Associate Professor in Residence and Director of the UCSF Center for Surgery in Older Adults, focuses on using administrative data to examine ‘real world' surgical outcomes in the elderly. For example, in an analysis of operative mortality in 1.2 million Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older undergoing elective diagnostic high-risk surgery, she found that the risk of death increased dramatically with age. Her work examining the impact of
...
Palliative Care in Cancer Setting
Symptom Management Service (SMS) The Symptom Management Service (SMS), a pioneering program for outpatient symptom management in a cancer center setting, was founded by Michael W. Rabow, MD, a national expert in outpatient palliative care program development, service delivery, and research . The SMS is focused on the field of whole person care, which supports patients and their loved ones as they confront cancer and its attendant treatment. It addresses patient quality of life and management of distressing symptoms, irrespective
...
Patient-Provider Communication
Clinical Trial - Navigating High Risk Surgery: Empowering Older Adults to Ask Questions That Inform Decisions About Surgical Treatment PCORI-1502-27462 Navigating High Risk Surgery: Empowering Older Adults to Ask Questions That Inform Decisions About Surgical Treatment Study ID: UW 2015-1375 Principal Investigator: Emily Finlayson, MD, MS Summary from ClinicalTrials.Gov: The investigators will perform a multi-site cluster randomized trial that uses a stepped-wedged design to compare the effectiveness of a Question Prompt List (QPL) intervention to usual care for patients considering
...
End-of-Life Experiences / Cultural Attitudes Impact on Patient Perspectives Alexander Smith, MD, MPH is broadly interested in issues at the intersection of geriatrics and palliative care, his research has largely been organized around three primary areas: end-of-life experiences, patient-doctor communication, and cultural attitudes toward care. In a series of studies examining nationally representative group of older adults who died, Dr. Smith demonstrated that: (1) pain due to arthritis is under-recognized in the last years of life; (2) lengths of stay
...
IMPACT-ICU: Integrating Multidisciplinary Palliative Care into the ICU Wendy Gabrielle Anderson, MD, MS, worked with colleagues in critical care and palliative care at UCSF Medical Center and the Schools of Nursing and Medicine to develop "IMPACT-ICU: Integrating Multidisciplinary Palliative Care into the ICU", a project that integrates palliative care into intensive care units. This is accomplished by training and supporting ICU bedside nurses to identify and address patient and family needs for symptom management, emotional support, and communication. Dr. Anderson
...
Medical Literacy and Patient Decision Making Rebecca Sudore, MD has dedicated her research program to making medical information easier for patients and their families to understand. She published the first prospective study demonstrating the effect of limited literacy on mortality in the elderly, and has shown that elders with limited literacy have greater difficulty making medical decisions for informed consent and advance care planning. She has also designed and tested an informed consent process for patients with limited literacy and
...
Prehab Pal: A Digital, Interdisciplinary Geriatric Surgery Wellness Program Authors: Kelsey Ogomori, Jeanette M. Broering PhD, MPH, RN, Sean Bumgarner, Jeff Belkora, PhD4, Tia Weinberg, PrarthanaBhattacharya, Savinnie Ho, Trish Lai5, Eunice Tsang, and Emily Finlayson, MD, MS The United States population is rapidly aging Older individuals are estimated to account for more than half of the procedures performed in the United States Of those aged 70 and older who undergo major surgery, more than half are considered frail Frailty puts
...
Quality Improvement
Geriatric Assessments in Patients with End-Stage Liver Disease The NIH-funded Functional Assessment in Liver Transplant (FrAILT) Study, led by hepatologist and principal investigator Jennifer C. Lai, M.D., M.B.A., aims to apply measures of frailty and functional status to patients with end-stage liver disease awaiting liver transplantation. Her central hypothesis is that applying principles of geriatric assessment to this population can improve our ability to better identify which patients are particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes before and after liver transplantation. Her
...
Transitions of Care for Hospitalized Older Adults The research of Ryan Greysen, M.D., is focused on transitions of care for hospitalized older adults and interventions to improve post-discharge continuity of care including novel uses of patient-centered technology such as mobile devices and social media (mHealth). Dr. Greysen, a hospitalist with unique training in social sciences and health outcomes research, is committed to improving the quality of hospital care for vulnerable patients their families, specifically the health, functional status, and independence
...